I agree. They are often seen with standard blinking beacon lights exactly as required by the FAA. They don't always have them on though. They seem to change light configuration to appear to be a plane sometimes.
Printable View
I agree. They are often seen with standard blinking beacon lights exactly as required by the FAA. They don't always have them on though. They seem to change light configuration to appear to be a plane sometimes.
glad to see im not the only one inform on this kinda thing
daps, respect son
Back in 2008 I saw a HUGE black triangular shaped object flying about 250-300 ft above my head making a very faint humming sound (like high voltage sound if that makes any sense) The sound was only audible when it was very close over our heads. This craft was traveling VERY slow. Couldn't have been more than 20-30 mph After passing overhead and about a mile south of us it suddenly came to a complete stop mid-air! Fucked me up!! I was freaking the fuck out! We all were. We had no idea about black project stuff like the TR3B at the time, so you can imagine what was going through our minds. This wasn't one of those 3 lights forming a triangle sightings, the moon was large and bright and this thing was clearly visible as one solid triangle shaped craft that was darker than the sky surrounding it. It had lights on only 2 of the 3 corners on, but you could still see that the thing was a perfect triangle. A friend of mine also claimed he could actually see the light (still turned off) on that corner at one point as he was looking straight up at it. Then it slowly continued on in the same direction until we couldn't see it any longer. That was when my research began. I believe I know what I saw now.
UFO? Not Sure Then Double Check Here;
Here is a list of organisations and links to "check able data" when, if ,where and why you ever see something you perceive to be unexplained or just too weird up in the skies;You can check all these sites as a cross reference to see if what you saw is explainable under any of the given possibilities in the links below;
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Satellites/ISS;
Heaven's Above;http://www.heavens-above.com/
NASA - Human Space Flight; http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/
Orbitron - Satellite Tracking System; http://www.stoff.pl/
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Stars, planets;
Stellarium; http://www.stellarium.org/
American Meteor Soceity; http://www.amsmeteors.org/fireball2/public.php
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Aircraft;
Aircraft Light Identification; http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question...cs/q0263.shtml
Aircraft Light Identification - 2; http://www.ultraligero.net/Sitios/Pl...uirementos.pdf
Article on Helicopter Lights - they vary; http://www.caelestia.be/helicopters.html
Flightware - Live Flight Tracking;
http://flightaware.com/live/
Launch Schedule;International Launch Schedules;
http://www.satelliteonthenet.co.uk/i...aunch-schedule
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more identification to check;
Sensory Illusions in Aviation;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory...ns_in_aviation
Yehudi lights;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yehudi_lights
IsaacKoi's Sky Lanterns Research Project;
http://www.weddinglanterns.co.uk/
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread299865/pg1
Weather balloons and radiosondes (good example);
http://www.helium.com/items/1512013-...r-balloon-work
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiosonde
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread464522/pg1
Compound observations;
http://forgetomori.com/2008/ufos/ext...-explanations/
Atmospheric phenoemna:
Lenticular clouds;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenticular_cloud
Sun dogs;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_dog
Ball lightning;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_lightning
Earthquake lights;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_light
TLEs;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transient_luminous_event
Mirages;
http://english.cri.cn/811/2006/05/07/[email protected]
Natural smoke rings;
http://www.swisseduc.ch/stromboli/et...ovideo-en.html
Identified Flying Objects;
http://www.laesieworks.com/ifo/
Request help identifying all govt. & civilian saucer-related projects!;
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread449104/pg1
Interesting to note that American presidents in the past have stepped up to the mark on occasions and offered their thoughts/perceptions on UFOs, from personal sightings to alleged briefing documents these presidents and prominent senators offer a whole new perception on this enigma;
UFO for American presidents;
17.06.2011;
http://english.pravda.ru/images/arti...5/9/44659.jpeg
quote;
"Many U.S. presidents during their terms were seriously interested in UFOs and extraterrestrial intelligence issues, and some of them even had a chance to make contact with aliens. We turn to the recently declassified archives of ufology. Let's start with 1948, when President Harry S. Truman summoned his Assistant Robert Landry to the Oval Office".
"Truman gave him the order to make reports every three months on the flying saucers observed over the country. Once, Truman asked to investigate the case of the appearance of mysterious object over Washington that he observed through his window".
CIA agent Gerald Haines said that in July of 1952 the presidential administration was seriously disturbed by a "massive wave of UFO sightings over the United States." There was even an order to shoot down unidentified flying objects.
Most of all "UFO" rumor refer to Dwight Eisenhower. There is documentary evidence that in 1952 something extraordinary happened with Eisenhower. Here is the story of a naval officer who at that time served on the aircraft carrier "Franklin Roosevelt":
"We were to the north-east of England with a fleet of NATO. Around 1:30 am to the right side of us a large blue-white UFO appeared. It came down and hovered 30 meters above the water. The UFO then rose and flew off to the left. General Eisenhower, who arrived by helicopter with the admiral of the fleet, stepped out on the bridge at that very moment. We watched the UFO for about ten minutes."
Of course, we can assume that this is just another UFO tale. However, the events of January of 1972 made a great deal of noise.
On January 12th Oklahoma resident Sherry Eckhardt was on the phone with her mother. Suddenly, something cracked in the receiver and there was an unfamiliar voice: "We issued an alarm ... We are getting objects with a radar that appear on the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico ... Fighters are on the way ... An object has fallen into the Pacific Ocean, the fighters are shot down."
Astonished, Sherry gave her husband a sign to pick up the phone in another room. They heard: "Call the president on the phone!"
Then they heard a voice similar to that of Richard Nixon.
Of course, the couple told everything to the reporters. A scandal erupted. The White House and Air Force service made a televised rebuttal: there were no UFOs, nobody was knocked down. However, officers of the local telephone exchange have publicly stated that theoretically Eckhart could be mistakenly connected to the line of government communications.
But the most striking, absolutely reliable evidence of contact with the UFO was left by President Carter. It happened on January 6, 1969. Carter saw a large glowing object in the sky that was changing colors. "It was the most devilish of all the stuff I've ever seen," the former president said.
During his presidential campaign, Carter promised to declassify all information about UFO sightings in the U.S. He kept his word, and a number of documents became available to the public, including ufologists.
Ronald Reagan was another president who observed UFOs even back when he was still a governor. It happened when the president was on a plane. This is what Reagan later told the reporter Norman Miller:
"We followed it for several minutes. It was a bright white light. We followed it to Bakersfield, and all of a sudden to our utter amazement it went straight up into the heavens."
Once private screening of Steven Spielberg's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" was arranged for Reagan attended by the famous director. Following the screening the President leaned over, clapped Spielberg on the shoulder, and quietly commented, "You know, there aren't six people in this room who know how true this really is."
Margarita Troitsyna
Yoki
Read the original in Russian;
http://www.yoki.ru/anomalous/ufo/16-...5609-truman-0/
http://english.pravda.ru/society/ano.../118232-ufo-0/
UFOs;
Goldwater was one of the more prominent American politicians to openly show an interest in UFOs.
On March 28, 1975, Goldwater wrote to Shlomo Arnon: "The subject of UFOs has interested me for some long time. About ten or twelve years ago I made an effort to find out what was in the building at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base where the information has been stored that has been collected by the Air Force, and I was understandably denied this request. It is still classified above Top Secret."
[70] Goldwater further wrote that there were rumors the evidence would be released, and that he was "just as anxious to see this material as you are, and I hope we will not have to wait much longer."[70]
The April 25, 1988 issue of The New Yorker carried an interview where Goldwater said he repeatedly asked his friend, Gen. Curtis LeMay, if there was any truth to the rumors that UFO evidence was stored in a secret room at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and if he (Goldwater) might have access to the room. According to Goldwater, an angry LeMay gave him "holy hell" and said, "Not only can't you get into it but don't you ever mention it to me again."[71]
In a 1988 interview on Larry King's radio show, Goldwater was asked if he thought the U.S. Government was withholding UFO evidence; he replied "Yes, I do." He added:
I certainly believe in aliens in space. They may not look like us, but I have very strong feelings that they have advanced beyond our mental capabilities....I think some highly secret government UFO investigations are going on that we don't know about – and probably never will unless the Air Force discloses them.[72]
[edit]Goldwater Scholarship;
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986. Its goal is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields.
The Scholarship is widely considered the most prestigious award in the U.S. conferred upon undergraduates studying the sciences. It is awarded to about 300 students (college sophomores and juniors) nationwide in the amount of $7500 per academic year (for their senior year, or junior and senior years). It honors Goldwater's keen interest in science and technology.
link; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Goldwater#UFOs
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One of the most powerful U.S. senators in modern history actually eye-witnessed two UFO’s while on a fact-finding trip through Russia in 1955, and the U.S. government kept the sightings a secret for more than three decades. The incredible encounter is detailed in 12 TOP SECRET CIA, FBI, and Air Force reports, and declassified in 1985.
Those startling reports reveal that Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr. (D-GA), then chairman of the Armed Services Committee, was on a Soviet train when he spotted a disc-shaped craft taking off near the tracks. He hurriedly called his military aide and interpreter to the window and they saw the UFO, plus another one that appeared a minute later. The astonished trio reported the sightings to the U.S. Air Force as soon as they were out of Russia.
link; http://ufosuncovered.com/united-stat...a-oct-13-1955/
A few Quotes about UFOs and aliens for your consideration:
"In my mind, there is no question that they're out there. My Career is well established. My texts books are required reading in all the major capitals on planet earth. If you want to become a physist to learn about the unified feild therory-you read my books. Therefore, I'm in a position to say: Yes- Most likely they're out their, perhaps even visted, perhaps on our moon. - ABC News Quote --
-- Professor Michio Kaku Author of Theoretical Physics UNY
"I've been convinced for a long time that the flying saucers are real and interplanetary. Another words we are being watched by beings from outer space."
--Albert M. Chop, deputy public relations director, National Aeronautics and Space Administration,(NASA) and former United States Air Force spokesman for Project Blue Book.
"When the long awaited solution to the UFO problem comes, I believe that it will prove to be not merely the next small step in the march of science, but a mighty and totally unexpected quantum leap." "We had a job to do, whether right or wrong, to keep the public from getting excited"
--Dr.J Allen Hynek, Director US Air Force´s project Blue Book as a scientific consultant, astronomer, investigator and analysis.
"Of course it is possible that UFO's really do contain aliens as many people believe, and the Government is hushing it up."
--Professor Stephen Hawking
"Given the millions of billions of Earth-like planets, life elsewhere in the Universe without a doubt, does exist. In the vastness of the Universe we are not alone."
--The Bible According to Albert Einstein
"It is my thesis that flying saucers are real and that they are space ships from another solar system.There is no doubt in my mind that these objects are interplanetary craft of some sort. I and my colleagues are confident that they do not originate in our solar system."
--Dr. Herman Oberth (The father of modern rockerty)
"I am completely convinced that UFOs have an out-of-world basis."
--Dr. Walther Riedel (Once chief designer and research director at the German rocket center in Peenemunde)
"The possibility of reduced-time interstellar travel either by advanced extraterrestrial civilizations at present or ourselves in the future, is not fundamentally constrained by physical principles."
-- Dr. Harold Puthoff (Director, Institute for advanced studies at Austin, Author of fundamentals of Quantum Electronics)
The least improbable explanation is that these things are artificial and controlled ... My opinion for some time has been that they have an extraterrestrial origin."
--Dr. Maurice Biot (leading aerodynamicists and mathematical physicist)
"The evidence is overwhelming that Planet Earth is being visited by intelligently controlled extraterrestrial spacecraft. In other words, SOME UFOs are alien spacecraft. Most are not. It's clear from the Opinion Polls and my own experience, that indeed most people accept the notion that SOME UFOs are alien spacecraft. The greater the education, the MORE likely to accept this proposition"
-- Stanton Friedman Defense Contractor Nuclear Physicist
"Extraterrestrial contact is a real phenomenon. The Vatican is receiving much information about extraterrestrials and their contacts with humans from its Nuncios (embassies) in various countries, such as Mexico, Chile and Venezuela."
-- Monsignor Corrado Balducci As stated 5 different times on Italian TV** (Vatican theologian insider close to the Pope,Monsignor Balducci said that he is on a Vatican commission looking into extraterrestrial encounters, and how to cope with the emerging general realization of extraterrestrial contact.)
"We must insist upon full access to disks recovered. For instance, in the La case the Army grabbed it and would not let us have it for cursory examination."
--J Edgar Hoover
"I am convinced that these ojects do exist and that they are not manufactured by any nations on earth"
--Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding (Commander-in-chief, Royal Air Force Fighter Command) (3) An outpouring of UFO reports which forces response in high places, particularly when unknowns virtually blitzed the U.S. capitol in Washington, D.C. An Air Force intelligence analysis also concluded that UFOs were interplanetary spaceships. (1952)
"The UFO phenomenon being reported is something real and not visionary or fictitious"
--General Nathan Twining Chairman, Joint chiefs of staff, 1955-1958
"With control of the universe at stake, a crash program is imperative.We produced the A-bomb, under the huge Manhattan Project, in an amazingly short time. The needs, the urgency today are even greater. The Air Force should end UFO secrecy, give the facts to scientists,the public, to Congress. Once the people realize the truth, they would back, even demand a crash program...for this is one race we dare not lose."
--Major Donald E Keyhoe USMC, Director NICAP 1953
"Unknown objects are operating under intelligent control... It is imperative that we learn where UFOs come from and what their purpose is. I can tell you, behind the scenes, high ranking military officers are soberly concerned about the UFOs"
--Admiral Roscoe Hillenkoetter (Former director of the Central Intelligence Agency)
"The possibility of reduced-time interstellar travel either by advanced extraterrestrial civilizations at present or ourselves in the future, is not fundamentally constrained by physical principles."
-- Dr. Harold Puthoff (Director, Institute for advanced studies at Austin, Author of fundamentals of Quantum Electronics)
An astonishing statement by Gen. Douglas MacArthur that, "...the next war will be an interplanetary war. The nations of the earth must someday make a common front against attack by people from other planets. The politics of the future will be cosmic, or interplanetary" (1955)
Truman climbs on board: "I can assure you that flying saucers, given that they exist, are not constructed by any power on earth"
--President Harry S. Truman
"The US Airforce assures me that UFO's pose no threat to National Security.."
--President John F Kennedy
I feel that the Air Force has not been giving out all the available information on the Unidentified Flying Objects. You cannot disregard so many unimpeachable sources."
-- John W. McCormack, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States. January (1965)
(9) Senator Barry Goldwater tries to gain access to a secret building at Wright-Patterson AFB rumored to house top UFO material, but is refused.
"I certainly believe in aliens in space, and that they are indeed visiting our planet. They may not look like us, but I have very strong feelings that they have advanced beyond our mental capabilities."
--Senator Barry Goldwater (1965)
(Retired Air Force Brigadier General and pilot with many decades of flying experience)
Future President Gerald Ford recommends an official committee investigation of the UFO phenomenon.
"I strongly recommend that there be a committee investigation of the UFO phenomena. I think we owe it to the people to establish credibility regarding UFOs and to produce the greatest possible enlightenment on this subject"
--President Gerald Ford (1966)
On the campaign trail, soon-to-be President Jimmy Carter promises that upon election, he would make public all the government's information on UFO sightings.
"I don't laugh at people any more when they say they've seen UFOs. I've seen one myself!"
--President Jimmy Carter (1976)
"I looked out the window and saw this white light.It was zigzagging around. I went up to the pilot and said,Have you ever seen anything like that? He was shocked and he said, "Nope." And I said to him: "Let's follow it!" We followed it for several minutes. It was a bright white light.We followed it to Bakersfield, and all of a sudden to our utter amazement it went straight up into the heavens. When I got off the plane I told Nancy all about it."
--President Ronald Reagen (Describing his 1974 UFO encounter to veteran newsman Norman C. Miller, then Washington bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal.)
"I think about how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world. And I ask you, does not this threat alread exsist?"
--President Ronald Reagen UN address
"The phenomenon of UFOs does exist, and it must be treated seriously."
--Mikhail Gorbachev
"I'm not at liberty to discuss the governments knowledge of extraterrestrial UFO's at this time. I am still personally being briefed on the subject!"
--President Richard M. Nixon
What say you, NASA?
I believe, and I scientifically am certain, that there are endless other living forms out there, including intelligent sentient beings. I do know that there are entire universes of living forms out there.
--Dr.Story Musgrave NASA scientist-astronaut
"I believe that these extraterrestrial vehicles and their crews are visiting this planet from other planets which obviously are a little more technically advanced than we are here on Earth." --Colonel L. Gordon Cooper (Mercury 9, Gemini-5 Astronaut)
"Mission control, We have a UFO pacing our position, request instructions!"
-- Astronaut Cady Coleman NASAtransmission shuttle mission STS-73
"I've been asked about UFO's and I've said publicly I thought they were somebody else, some other civilization."
--Commander Eugene Cernan, Commanded the Apollo 17 Mission. (LA TIMES, 1973)
"We have contact with alien cultures."
--Astronaut Dr. Brian O'leary
"In my official status, I cannot comment on ET contact. However, personally, I can assure you, we are not alone!
--Charles J. Camarda (Ph.D.) NASA Astronaut
"UFO sightings are now so common, the military doesn't have time to worry about them - so they screen them out. The major defense systems have UFO filters built into them, and when a UFO appears, they simply ignore it."
--Lee Katchen (former atmospheric physicist with NASA)
"In my official status, I cannot comment on ET contact. However, personally, I can assure you, we are not alone!
--Charles J. Camarda (Ph.D.) NASA Astronaut
We all know that UFOs are real. All we need to ask is where do they come from, and what do they want?"
--Apollo 14 Astronaut Capt. Edgar Mitchell
"All Apollo and Gemini flights were followed, both at a distance and sometimes also quite closely, by space vehicles of extraterrestrial origin - flying saucers, or UFOs, if you want to call them by that name. Every time it occurred, the astronauts informed Mission Control, who then ordered absolute silence."
--Maurice Chatelain, former chief of NASA Communications Systems.
"At no time, when the astronauts were in space were they alone: there was a constant surveillance by UFOs."
--NASA's Scott Carpenter
When asked if he believed that UFO's were real;"Yes as a matter of fact I do." He was also asked if he had ever seen a UFO and he said he had, on his Gemini mission. He went on to say that he tried to take a picture of it, but it did not come out.
--Brigadier Gen. James Mc Divitt command pilot of the Gemini space craft. (This interview can be seen on a video tape called Beyond Belief, from United Entertainment, Inc. 1986.)
On May 11, 1962 NASA pilot Joseph Walker said that one of his tasks was to detect UFOs during his X-15 flights. He had filmed five or six UFOs during his record breaking fifty-mile-high flight in April, 1962. It was the second time he had filmed UFOs in flight. To date none of those films has been released to the public for viewing. During a lecture at the Second National Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Space Research in Seattle, Washington, he stated:
"I don't feel like speculating about them. All I know is what appeared on the film which was developed after the flight."
-- NASA Pilot Joseph A. Walker
"The evidence points to the fact that Roswell was a real incident and that indeed an alien craft did crash, and that material was recovered from that site. We all know that UFOs are real.All we need to ask is where do they come from, and what do they want?"
--Capt. Edgar Mitchell Apollo 14 Astronaut
"I was testing a P-51 fighter in Minneapolis when I spotted this object. I was at about 10,000 feet on a nice, bright, sunny afternoon. I thought the object was a kite, then I realized that no kite is gonna fly that high." As I got closer it looked like a weather balloon, gray and about three feet in diameter. But as soon as I got behind the darn thing it didn't look like a balloon anymore. It looked like a saucer, a disk.
About the same time, I realized that it was suddenly going away from me -- and there I was, running at about 300 miles per hour. I tracked it for a little way, and then all of a sudden the damn thing just took off. It pulled about a 45 degree climbing turn and accelerated and just flat disappeared."
--Mercury Astronaut Capt. Donald Slayton
"Let there be no doubt. Alien technology harvested from the infamous saucer crash in Roswell, N.Mex., in July 1947 led directly to the development of the integrated circuit chip, laser and fiber optic technologies, Particle beams, Electromagnetic propulsion systems, Depleted uranium projectiles, Stealth capabilities, and many others! How do I know? I was in charge! (A matter of public record)I think the kids on this planet are wise to the truth, and I think we ought to give it to them. I think they deserve it.
--Colonel Philip Corso Army Intelligence officer, former head of the Foreign Technology at the U.S. Army's Research and Development department at the Pentagon. Four years director of intelligence on President Eisenhower's White House National Security Staff
Skeptic Quote -- "Radio has no future. Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible. X-rays will prove to be a hoax."
--William Thomson, Lord Kelvin English scientist, 1899.
The body of excellent evidence in respect to ETs is overwhelming and much information has come out. Correspondingly, there would be no easy way to inform the public of the Extraterrestrial existence, and no one government or military group to tell it. The situation is extremely complex, with some of it quite disturbing. The sudden announcement of the true reality of ETs would have a profound effect on Earth's cultural, financial, religious, and social institutions.
There appears investigators uncovering undeniable proof of a working relation between members of the Intelligence Agencies; the Pentagon and various off-world races that is totally separate from the perhaps hundreds or even thousands of contactee cases around the Globe. They had better tread softly.
Not UFO Related but Very Significant - Ike was Right! Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1960 Farewell Public Address;
Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.
This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.
Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades.
In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.
Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.
The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present and is gravely to be regarded. To those who remain skeptical about the value of UFO research, here are some suggestions:
Read the serious and relevant UFO literature. Learn about the UFO investigators and research organizations. Know the facts behind the phenomenon. Study the data and do not confuse facts with speculation. Examine the research methods and arguments of skeptics.
Remember that honest and serious skepticism requires an understanding of the data, relevant scientific and social research, and the world-wide history of the UFO mystery;
link; http://www.netscientia.com/ufo_quotes.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrWINYfnWC8
Truman admits that UFOs are real, and hes not alone, Many presidents have admitted to the fact that UFOs are real, including Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and JFK tried to even expose the truth but was assassinated. "I can assure you that flying saucers, given that they exist, are not constructed by any power on earth." Truman says.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK-XATA-5gs
Ronald Reagan's speech about UFO Alien at UN;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd8wwMFmCeE
Rare video 1961 speech President & WWII General Dwight D Eisenhower warns us of the New World Order aka Military Industrial Complex.
Project 1947;by kenneth arnold;
Here is the actual report by the man to start the whole UFO debate off ,a one Mr Kenneth Arnold;The second report is from the “the Rockefeller Briefing Document”;It was the American press who gave rise to the term ,"FLYING SAUCERS" that would mold the public's perceptions of UFOs, Kenneth Arnold actually told the press that the objects he saw where like" disks" or one plate on top of another, he never used the term flying saucer, this phrase was used as a tool of early debunking or ridiculing from the main stream press;
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PROJECT 1947;
CONFIDENTIAL;
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...scent_1947.jpg
Arnold Showing a drawing of the crescent-shaped object;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Arnold
COPY;
BY KENNETH ARNOLD;
quote;
"The following story of what I observed over the Cascade mountains, as impossible as it may seem, is positively true. I never asked nor wanted any notoriety for just accidentally being in the right spot at the right time to observe what I did. I reported something that I know any pilot would have reported. I don't think that in any way my observation was due to any sensitivity of eye sight or judgment than what is considered normal for any pilot".
On June 24th, Tuesday, 1947, I had finished my work for the Central Air Service at Chehalis, Washington, and at about two o'clock I took off from Chehalis, Washington, airport with the intention of going to Yakima, Wash. My trip was delayed for an hour to search for a large marine transport that supposedly went down near or around the southwest side of Mt. Rainier in the state of Washington and to date has never been found.
I flew directly toward Mt. Rainier after reaching an altitude of about 9,500 feet, which is the approximate elevation of the high plateau from which Mt. Rainier rises. I had made one sweep of this high plateau to the westward, searching all of the various ridges for this marine ship and flew to the west down and near the ridge side of the canyon where Ashford, Washington, is located.
Unable to see anything that looked like the lost ship, I made a 360 degree turn to the right and above the little city of Mineral, starting again toward Mt. Rainier. I climbed back up to an altitude of approximately 9,200 feet.
The air was so smooth that day that it was a real pleasure flying and, as most pilots do when the air is smooth and they are flying at a higher altitude, I trimmed out my airplane in the direction of Yakima, Washington, which was almost directly east of my position and simply sat in my plane observing the sky and the terrain.
CONFIDENTIAL;
CONFIDENTIAL;
There was a DC-4 to the left and to the rear of me approximately fifteen miles distance, and I should judge, at 14,000 foot elevation.
The sky and air was clear as crystal. I hadn't flown more than two or three minutes on my course when a bright flash reflected on my airplane. It startled me as I thought I was too close to some other aircraft. I looked every place in the sky and couldn't find where the reflection had come from until I looked to the left and the north of Mt. Rainier where I observed a chain of nine peculiar looking aircraft flying from north to south at approximately 9,500 foot elevation and going, seemingly, in a definite direction of about 170 degrees.
They were approaching Mt. Rainier very rapidly, and I merely assumed they were jet planes. Anyhow, I discovered that this was where the reflection had come from, as two or three of them every few seconds would dip or change their course slightly, just enough for the sun to strike them at an angle that reflected brightly on my plane.
These objects being quite far away, I was unable for a few seconds to make out their shape or their formation. Very shortly they approached Mt. Rainier, and I observed their outline against the snow quite plainly.
I thought it was very peculiar that I couldn't find their tails but assumed they were some type of jet plane. I was determined to clock their speed, as I had two definite points I could clock them by; the air was so clear that it was very easy to see objects and determine their approximate shape and size at almost fifty miles that day.
I remember distinctly that my sweep second hand on my eight day clock, which is located on my instrument panel, read one minute to 3 P.M. as the first object of this formation passed the southern edge of Mt. Rainier. I watched these objects with great interest as I had never before observed
airplanes flying so close to the mountain tops, flying directly south to southeast down the hog's back of a mountain range. I would estimate their elevation could have varied a thousand feet one way or another up or down, but they were pretty much on the horizon to me which would indicate they were near the same elevation as I was.
They flew like many times I have observed geese to fly in a rather diagonal chain-like line as if they were linked together. They seemed to hold a definite direction but rather swerved in and out of the high mountain peaks. Their speed at the time did not impress me particularly, because I knew that our army and air forces had planes that went very fast.
What kept bothering me as I watched them flip and flash in the sun right along their path was the fact that I couldn't make out any tail on them, and I am sure that any pilot would justify more than a second look at such a plane.
I observed them quite plainly, and I estimate my distance from them, which was almost at right angles, to be between twenty to twenty-five miles. I knew they must be very large to observe their shape at that distance, even on as clear a day as it was that Tuesday,
In fact I compared a zeus fastener or cowling tool I had in my pocket with them - holding it up on them and holding it up on the DC-4 - that I could observe at quite a distance to my left, and they seemed smaller than the DC-4; but, I should judge their span would have been as wide as the furtherest engines on each side of the fuselage of the DC-4.
The more I observed these objects the more upset I became, as I am accustomed and familiar with most all objects flying whether I am close to the ground or at higher altitudes. I observed the chain of these objects passing another high snow-covered rIdge in between Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams
CONFIDENTIAL;
CONFIDENTIAL;
and as, the first one was passing the south crest of this ridge the last object was entering the northern crest of the ridge.
As I was flying in the direction of this particular ridge, I measured it and found it to be approximately five miles so I could safely assume that the chain of these saucer like objects were at least five miles long. I could quite accurately determine their pathway due to the fact that there were several high peaks that were a little this side of them as well as higher peaks on the other side of their pathway.
As the last unit of this formation passed the southern most high snow-covered crest of Mt. Adams, I looked at my sweep second hand and it showed that they had travelled the distance in one minute and forty-two seconds. Even at the time this timing did not upset me as I felt confident after I would land there would be some explanation of what I saw.
A number of news men and experts suggested that I might have been seeing reflections or even a mirage. This I know to be absolutely false, as I observed these objects not only through the glass of my airplane but turned my airplane sideways where I could open my window and observe them with a completely unobstructed view. (Without sun glasses);
Even though two minutes seems like a very short time to one on the ground, in the air in two minutes time a pilot can observe a great many things and anything within his sight of vision probably as many as fifty or sixty times.
I continued my search for the marine plane for another fifteen or twenty minutes and while searching for this marine plane, what I had just observed kept going through my mind. I became more disturbed, so after taking a last look at Tieton Reservoir I headed for Yakima.
I might add that my complete observation of these objects, which I could even follow by their flashes as they passed Mt. Adams, was around two
CONFIDENTIAL;
and one-half or three minutes -- although, by the time they reached Mt. Adams they were out of my range of vision as far as determining shape or form. Of course, when the sun reflected from one or two or three of these units, they appeared to be completely round; but, I am making a drawing to the best of my ability, which I am including, as to the shape I observed these objects to be as they passed the snow covered ridges as well as Mt. Rainier.
When these objects were flying approximately straight and level, they were just a black thin line and when they flipped was the only time I could get a judgment as to their size.
These objects were holding an almost constant elevation; they did not seem to be going up or coming down, such as would be the case of rockets or artillery shells. I am convinced in my own mind that they were some type of airplane, even though they didn't conform with the many aspects of the conventional type of planes that I know.
Although these objects have been reported by many other observers throughout the United States, there have been six or seven other accounts written by some of these observers that I can truthfully say must have observed the same thing that I did; particularly, the descriptions of the three Wester[Cedar City, Utah] Air Lines employees, the gentleman [pilot] from Oklahoma City and the locomotive engineer from Illinois, plus Capt Smith and Co-Pilot Stevens of United Air Lines.
Some descriptions could not be very accurate taken from the ground unless these saucer-like disks were at a great height and there is a possibility that all of the people who observed peculiar objects could have seen the same thing I did, but, it would have been very difficult from the ground to observe these for more than four or five seconds, and there is always the possibility of atmospheric moisture and dust near the ground which could distort one's vision.
I have in my possession letters from all over the Unites States and people who profess that these objects have been observed over other portions of the world,principally Sweden, Bermuda, and California.
CONFIDENTIAL;
I would have given almost anything that day to have had a movie camera with a telephoto lens and from now on I will never be without one - - but, to continue further with my story. When I landed at Yakima, Wash., airport I described what I had seen to my very good friend, Al Baxter, who listened patiently and was very courteous but in a joking way didn't believe me.
I did not accurately measure the distance between these two mountains until I landed at Pendleton, Oregon, that same day where I told a number of pilot friends of mine what I had observed and they did not scoff or laugh but suggested they might be guided missiles or something new. In fact several former Army pilots informed me that they had been briefed before going into combat overseas that they might see objects of similar shape and design as I described and assured me that I wasn't dreaming or going crazy.
I quote Sonny Robinson, a former Army Air Forces pilot who is now operating dusting operations at Pendleton, Oregon, "What you observed, I am convinced, is some type of jet or rocket propelled ship that is in the process of being tested by our government or even it could possibly be by some foreign government."
Anyhow, the news that I had observed these spread very rapidly and before the night was over I was receiving telephone calls from all parts of the world; and, to date, I have not received one telephone call or one letter of scoffing or disbelief. the only disbelief that I know of was what was printed in the papers.
I look at this whole ordeal as not something funny as some people have made it out to be. To me it is mighty serious and since I evidently did observe something that at least Mr. John Doe on the street corner or Pete Andrews on the ranch has never heard about, is no reason that it does not exist. Even though I openly invited an investigation by the Army and the
CONFIDENTIAL;
FBI as to the authenticity of my story or a mental or a physical examination as to my capabilities, I have received no interest from these two important protective forces of our country; I will go so far as to assume that any report I gave to the United and Associated Press and over the radio on two different occasions which apparently set the nation buzzing, if our Military intelligence was not aware of what I observed, they would be the very first people that I could expect as visitors.
I have received lots of requests from people who told me to make a lot of wild guesses. I have based what I have written here in this article on positive facts and as far as guessing what it was I observed, it is just as much a mystery to me as it is to the rest of the world.
My pilot's license is 333487. I fly a Callair airplane; it is a three-place single engine land ship that is designed and manufactured at Afton, Wyoming as an extremely high performance, high altitude airplane that was made for mountain work. The national certificate of my plane is 33355
/s/ Kenneth Arnold;
Box 587;
Boise, Idaho;
They seemed longer than wide, their thickness was about 1/20th their width
Mirror Bright;
They did not appear to me to whirl or spin but seemed in fixed position traveling as I have made drawing.
/s/
Kenneth Arnold;
CONFIDENTIAL;
Arnold’s report to the USAF is available online at: http://www.project1947.com/fig/ka.htm
other links to various documents;
http://www.nicap.org/arnolddir.htm
************************************************** ********
Cover of International UFO Reporter showing a photograph of Kenneth Arnold, his original sketches and a reconstruction of the flying wing he saw, which led to the name of flying saucers. Insert lower right shows Arnold's original sketch for Army Intelligence. Courtesy of CUFOS.
1947: FIRST AMERICAN SIGHTING WAVE;
quote;
"The first major wave of American sightings produced more than a thousand reports, the term "flying saucer," and the first confirmed investigations by the U.S. Government. The reports were from all 48 states, mainly of round objects seen in the daytime. For two weeks, especially around the July Fourth weekend, newspapers and radio broadcasts were full of stories of flying saucers and flying discs. Early official studies concluded that they were real and unexplained".
It began on the afternoon of June 24, 1947 with the sighting of a formation of strange high-speed objects. Kenneth Arnold, flying his single-engine Callair airplane over southwestern Washington State, had interrupted his business trip to assist in the search for a missing military transport plane. From the official U.S. Army Air Force's report on the event:
"I hadn't flown more than two or three minutes on my (new) course when a bright flash reflected on my airplane. It startled me as I thought I was too close to some other aircraft. I looked every place in the sky and couldn't find where the reflection had come from until I looked to the left and the north of Mt. Rainier where I observed a chain of nine peculiar looking aircraft flying from north to south at approximately 9,500 feet [3,000 m.] elevation and going, seemingly, in a definite direction of about 170 degrees.
"They were approaching Mt. Rainier very rapidly, and I merely assumed they were jet planes. Anyhow, I discovered that this was where the reflection had come from, as two or three of them every few seconds would dip or change their course slightly, just enough for the sun to strike them at an angle that reflected brightly at my plane.
"I thought it was very peculiar that I couldn't find their tails but assumed they were some kind of jet plane. I was determined to clock their speed, as I had two definite points I could clock them by; the air was so clear that it was very easy to see objects and determine their approximate shape and size at almost 50 miles [80 km.] that day.
"[The clock]... on my instrument panel, read one minute to 3 p.m. as the first object of this formation passed the southern edge of Mt. Rainier... I would estimate their elevation could have varied a thousand feet [300 m.], one way or another, up or down, but they were pretty much on the horizon to me, which would indicate they were near the same elevation as I was.
"They seemed to hold a definite direction but rather swerved in and out of the high mountain peaks. Their speed at the time did not impress me particularly, because I knew that our army and air forces had planes that went very fast.
"What kept bothering me as I watched them flip and flash in the sun right along their path was the fact that I couldn't make out any tail on them, and I am sure that any pilot would justify more than a second look at such a plane.
"I observed them quite plainly, and I estimated my distance from them, which was almost at right angles, to be between 20 and 25 miles [30-40 km.]. I knew they must be very large to observe their shape at the distance, even on as clear a day as it was that Tuesday.
In fact I compared a... fastener or cowling tool I had in my pocket with them - holding it up on them and holding it up on the DC-4 (airliner) - that I could observe at quite a distance to my left, and they seemed smaller than the DC-4; but, I should judge their span would have been as wide as the furthest engines on each side of the fuselage of the DC-4. [Note: this span is about 55 ft. or 16 m.].
"I could quite accurately determine their pathway due to the fact there were several high peaks that were a little this side of them as well as higher peaks on the other side of their pathway.
"As the last unit of this formation passed the southernmost high snow-covered crest of Mt. Adams, I looked at my sweep second hand and it showed that they had travelled the distance in one minute and 42 seconds. Even at the time, this timing did not upset me as I felt confident that after I landed there would be some explanation of what I had seen. [Note: 48 miles in 1:42 seconds works out to 1,700 mph or 2,700 km./hr., at a time when the official World Speed Record was 624 mph or 1,000 km./hr.]
"A number of newsmen and experts suggested that I might have been seeing reflections or even a mirage. This I know to be absolutely false, as I observed these objects not only through the glass of my airplane but turned by my airplane sideways where I could open my window and observe them with a completely unobstructed view, without sun glasses... They seemed longer than wide, their thickness was about 1/20th of their width."32
To accompany his statement, Arnold added a simple sketch of one of the objects: a circle with the rear flattened or clipped off. (See above.)
It was not known at the time, but others had seen formations of strange objects in the Pacific Northwest on the same day. That morning, five or six discs were seen banking and circling from the same Cascade Mountain Range over which Arnold had been flying during his sighting; at 2:30 p.m., three flat discs were seen tilting as they flew from Richland, Washington, 100 miles [160 km.] to the east; at 3 p.m., a man saw nine discs in formation from Mineral, Washington, almost directly beneath Arnold's airplane.
The conclusion drawn later by Project Blue Book was that Arnold had failed to identify some conventional airplanes. No specifics were suggested, as there were no circular, disc or similarly shaped airplanes flying in or near the U.S., nor any airplanes in the world capable of even half the speed at which he clocked the formation. The other sightings of formations in the same area do appear in newspaper reports, but not in the official files.
This marked the beginning of the 1947 UFO sighting wave. A study of newspapers by Ted Bloecher lists 832 sighting reports between June 15 and July 15. An expansion of his study, still in progress, is expected to raise the total to at least 1,500 separate reports, including many from outside the United States.33
The files of Project Blue Book show barely 50 reports for the period. Nevertheless, the first known official study of the 1947 sighting wave concluded, from just 13 of those reports: "From detailed study of reports selected for their impression of veracity and reliability, several conclusions have been formed:
"(a) This 'flying saucer' situation is not all imaginary or seeing too much in some natural phenomena. Something is really flying around.
"(b) Lack of topside inquiries, when compared to the prompt and demanding inquiries that have originated topside upon former events, give more than ordinary weight to the possibility that this is a domestic project about which the President, etc., know.
"Whatever the objects are, this much can be said of their physical appearance:
"1. The surface of these objects is metallic, indicating a metallic skin, at least.
"2. When a trail is observed, it is lightly colored, a blue-brown haze, that is similar to a rocket engine's exhaust. Contrary to a rocket of the solid type, one observation indicates that the fuel may be throttled which would indicate a liquid rocket engine.
"3. As to shape, all observations state that the object is circular or at least elliptical, flat on the bottom and slightly domed on the top. The size estimates place it somewhere near the size of a C-54 or a Constellation. [Note: 1940s airliners had a wingspan of 120 ft. or 35 m., and length of 95 ft. or 30 m.]
"4. Some reports describe two tabs, located at the rear and symmetrical about the axis of flight motion.
"5. Flights have been reported, from three to nine of them, flying good formation on each other, with speeds always above 300 kts. [350 mph or 650 km/hr.].
"6. The discs oscillate laterally while flying along, which could be snaking."34
Official interest in the phenomena was demonstrated in a famous September 1947 memo from General Nathan D. Twining, Chief of the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Field, Ohio, who stated:
"a. The phenomena reported is something real and not visionary or fictitious.
"b. There are objects probably approximating the shape of a disc, of such appreciable size as to appear to be as large as a man-made aircraft.
"c. There is a possibility that some of the incidents may be caused by natural phenomena, such as meteors.
"d. The reported operating characteristics such as extreme rates of climb, maneuverability (particularly in roll), and action which must be considered evasive when sighted or contacted by friendly aircraft and radar, lend belief to the possibility that some of the objects are controlled either manually, automatically, or remotely."35
Following other studies and reports, the U.S. Air Force instituted its first announced UFO investigation in January 1948: Project Sign.
_______________________________________
FOOTNOTES
32. Arnold, Kenneth, report to the U.S. Army Air Force, June 1947. Reprinted in Steiger, Brad, ed., Project Blue Book, Ballantine Books, 1976.
33. Bloecher, Ted, Report on the UFO Wave of 1947, NICAP, 1968.
34. Study by Air Force Base Intelligence Report, "Flying Discs," ibid.
35. Twining, Gen. Nathan, Memo to Commanding General Army Air Forces re "AMC Opinion Concerning 'Flying Discs'," September 23, 1947.
36. Ruppelt, Edward J., The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects, Doubleday & Co., 1956.
Paul Trents UFO photographs 1950;
Paul Trent took this one of two photographs of a UFO in the USA in May 1950.
A UFO skeptic named Robert Sheaffer stated that “many serious UFOlogists regarded these photos as the strongest photo case on record.
http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/5...ville2a0lg.jpg
McMinnville UFO Photos 50 Years Later - Still A Mystery;
By Kelly Kennedy - The Oregonian;
quote;
"DAYTON, OR - On the 50th anniversary of one of the most-famous UFO sightings in history, townsfolk don't seem to understand what the fuss is all about.
They don't understand why experts have worked for decades to debunk the photos taken from Paul and Evelyn Trent's back yard on May 11, 1950"
http://www.rense.com/1.graphics/mcminn2.jpg
They don't have conversations at the town's single bar about whether there is life beyond Earth.
They say they're not interested in an alien-themed ball and UFO watch that McMenamins Hotel Oregon is throwing in McMinnville to commemorate the event.
A month passed before the Trents gained their notoriety, in part because the couple waited to finish the roll of film that contained two of the most hotly debated UFO photographs ever, the closest ever taken of an unidentified flying object and one of the first captured on film.
A June 10, 1950, story in The Oregonian reports that Evelyn Trent was outside feeding the rabbits on the family farm near Dayton, about 11 miles south of McMinnville, when she saw a strange metallic object in the sky. She yelled for her husband, who grabbed a camera and ran outside.
The Trents told The Oregonian that the saucer came from the northeast at about 7:45 p.m., changed direction, then slipped out of sight. "It was like a good-sized parachute canopy without the strings, only silvery bright mixed with bronze," she said at the time. "It was as pretty as anything I ever saw."
When a friend saw the pictures, he hung them in his bank window, where they drew the eye of a McMinnville reporter. From there, the photos traveled worldwide across the news wires. Life magazine featured them in its June 26, 1950, edition.
Kim Trent Spencer, the farm couple's granddaughter, says she remembers talking about the UFO pictures when she was young, but back then she didn't know the details -- that her grandmother said she had seen UFOs before, that the object created a breeze that blew through her grandparents' hair, or which relative spotted the saucer first.
http://www.rense.com/1.graphics/mcminn1.jpg
"We think about it every once in a while," she said. "It stays in the back of your mind. I just remember they had a lot of problems with people not believing them. They'd come out and hang up hubcaps and take pictures to see if that's how they did it."
Both of Spencer's grandparents died a couple of years ago.
Dave Sanguinetti, special events coordinator for the Hotel Oregon, said he's not surprised about the lack of interest in Dayton.
"It's not a real popular subject around town," he said. "You never know -- it could have happened. The whole area is a mecca for sightings. Seems like everyone has a UFO sighting story."
To celebrate, McMenamins is bringing in Bruce Maccabee, the UFOlogist who investigated the photos.
"We're taking it seriously to a point because Bruce Maccabee is going to be here," Sanguinetti said. "But we're also taking it campily. There will be green Martians. I think it's going to be great. I think it's going to be insane."
In a recently updated report to the Center for UFO Studies in Chicago, Maccabee said he was unable to prove the photos were a hoax because the image is so clear. He came to a similar conclusion to that of photo analyst William Hartmann, who determined that the way the light was distributed on the photo shows it was a distant object, not a hubcap hung on a telephone wire.
In an Air Force investigation of the UFO reports at the University of Colorado in 1967 -- known as the Condon Report -- Hartmann determined that the evidence was "consistent with the assertion that an extraordinary flying object, silvery, metallic, disk-shaped, tens of meters in diameter and evidently artificial, flew within sight of two witnesses."
Hartmann, a senior scientist at the Tucson Planetary Science Institute, said his ideas about the analysis changed when he learned the Trents said they had seen other UFOs. "In my mind this reduced their credibility as follows: If their photo is real, it is clearly an artificial object and apparently not terrestrial, i.e. an alien spacecraft. But such objects must be extremely rare, or we'd have better documentation by now."
Some Dayton inhabitants may not be excited about the 50th anniversary of the event, but they do say it happened. They've seen similar things themselves. A 1996 Newsweek poll showed that 48 percent of Americans think the government is hiding proof of UFOs from the public.
Howard Putman, owner of Putt's Store in Dayton, said he and several other teen-agers saw several spaceships in the late 1940s.
"We were out working a field at U.S. Alderman Farms near Independence, hoeing corn or potatoes, and we saw five saucers swing down, corner off, then disappear," he said. "A little later, some military planes came over, and that's all we know. We can't prove it or disprove it. You know, there were a lot of things going on in the war years, so it could have been anything."
But Putman, like many Dayton residents, hasn't joined the UFO debate.
"They say it's a regular occurrence around here," he said. "The Trents could've seen something. It's not a big deal, though. If they're out there, they're out there." _____
McMinnville Photos 50 Years Later
By Pat Forgey - The News-Register, McMinnville, Oregon
link
12-00
Fifty years ago, the most important event in human history happened in McMinnville when a local farm couple captured evidence of interplanetary visitors on film.
Or they merely snapped a couple of pictures of a still-secret military craft. Or maybe it was an optical illusion, or a hoax.
Even after 50 years, nobody yet knows what to make of the two photographs taken by Paul and Evelyn Trent a bit after dinner on May 11, 1950. Much has been made of the photographs, nonetheless.
What set the Trents' photographs apart wasn't the timing. They weren't the first photos purporting to show unidentified flying objects, and they've hardly been the last.
"There have been a lot of such events, but this was of particular interest because of the clarity of the photos," said Bruce Maccabee, a researcher who has performed an exhaustive analysis. "Without the photos, it would have been just another sighting by some people, but the Trent case stands out because these photos are so clear that it's either the real thing or a hoax."
Unlikely hoaxers
Beyond the relative clarity of the photos, though, it was the Trents themselves who really set the photos apart.
Both Paul and Evelyn Trent died in the late 1990s. The house where the photographs were taken has long since been torn down.
But the Trents were, by all accounts, simple farm folk. They weren't the sort of people likely to either imagine or make up a flying saucer story, said Maccabee, who spent hours interviewing them over several years while he studied the photographs.
"I basically concluded that they were not the type of people who would attempt a UFO hoax, to say the nothing of pulling one off," he said.
That conclusion was echoed by journalist Bill Powell, who showed the Trent photographs to the world and touched off a media circus decades before that term came into common use.
Working for the Telephone-Register, predecessor of the News-Register, Powell got word of the photos in June 1950. They had been snapped a month earlier.
There were two of them. Retrieving the negatives from Paul Trent, Powell published them across the top of the Telephone-Register and told the Trents' story.
Evelyn Trent had been feeding rabbits in the backyard of their Ballston-area farm when she saw a flying disc in the sky to the northwest. She called for her husband, Paul, who snapped a photograph with his Kodak camera, rewound the film as rapidly as possible, and snapped a second shot 30 seconds later.
Both photos appear to show a disc zipping through the sky.
Paul Trent may have had photos of the biggest news story ever to hit McMinnville, but all he did was put the camera away. Later, after finishing off the roll of film on Mother's Day, he took it to a drug store on McMinnville's Third Street to be developed.
"The reason I thought they were authentic was that the negatives were in the middle of the roll," said Powell from his retirement home in Idaho Falls, Idaho. "He'd taken some more pictures so that he'd make sure he got his money's worth when he developed the things."
Maccabee said that story is part of why the photographs have taken on such importance in the UFO movement. If the Trents had been trying to fake a photograph, they'd likely have taken several practice shots and shown the world only the best of what they ended up with.
The other thing that makes the photos believable is that the Trents didn't seem to be trying to take advantage of them.
The day Paul Trent got the film developed, he told banker Ralph Wortman about it. Wortman mentioned it to Telephone-Register Editor Phil Bladine, who dispatched Powell to investigate.
Photos go national
Once the photos were published, however, they touched a national nerve.
Several supposed UFO sightings, usually called flying saucers then, had recently made the news. The photos went out on the wires and were reprinted across the nation.
Life, then the nation's top circulation magazine, published them in July.
Mutual Broadcasting System radio personality Frank Edwards obtained a copy of the Telephone-Register and called Bladine.
"Your paper is 10 cents," Edwards said to Bladine. "Can I tell people that if they send you a dime, you'll send 'em a copy?"
"I said 'sure', figuring that we might get a request for three or four papers," Bladine recalled.
Instead, requests flooded in. Dimes came taped to cards and wrapped in paper.
Sometimes payment was made in stamps. Sometimes dollar bills were sent and multiple copies were requested.
The Telephone Register's headline the next week reported, "Saucers Top Story in U.S. Inquiries Flood TR office."
At the time, the paper's circulation was less than 4,000, Bladine guesses. But by the end of week, requests for an extra 2,000 copies had come in.
That led to a special reprinting of the front page on high quality paper. By late summer, most of a special press run of 10,000 copies had been mailed out to people in all 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.
Bladine said many of the people contacting the paper had stories to tell. "People said that they'd seen a flying saucer, but didn't want to tell anyone because they were afraid they'd be thought nuts."
The Trents were eventually invited to New York for a radio appearance.
The photos have been reprinted many times since. They were included in the Condon Report, a University of Colorado study conducted into UFO sightings on behalf of the U.S. Air Force.
Before Life published the photographs, they were cropped by someone. Nothing but the cropped versions have been published since, said Tim Hills, a McMenamins historian who researched the photos as part of a look at the area's history when the pub chain reopened Hotel Oregon in McMinnville.
"The Telephone Register is the only source of the full-frame photos," he said. "They were never published full-frame ever again."
Skeptics abound
UFO skeptics have challenged the photos' authenticity, saying the story the Trents told of how the photos came to be taken was inconsistent. Maccabee, who interviewed the Trents many times, said he didn't find the inconsistencies significant.
"If they had said exactly the same thing every time, they (skeptics) would have said it was a hoax because they'd memorized it," he said. "You can't win with that one."
Other critics have said the shadows in the pictures indicate the photos were taken in the morning, rather than evening as the Trents said, but no one has come up with an explanation for why they'd lie about an insignificant element like that.
Hills finds the Trents and their story credible, even after the variations of multiple tellings.
"Their stories really didn't change significantly," he said. "It's a credit to them, and bolsters their credibility."
That doesn't mean that it's not a hoax of some sort, he said.
But it's stood up for five decades. "If it is a fake it's a masterful one," he said.
Maccabee said he's convinced of the photos' authenticity. What he doesn't know is what Paul Trent snapped a picture of that day in 1950.
Trent himself thought it was some type of secret military plane, Maccabee said.
He was reluctant at first to even let the newspaper publish the photos. He was quoted in the first story as saying, "I'm afraid I'll get into trouble with the government."
Hills is among those who doesn't think it was a top secret Air Force project.
"If we had the capability in 1947 to make a flying saucer, we should be able to do that today, and we can't. It's a big question mark to me," he said.
Powell still doesn't' know what to make of it. The story he published carried the headline, "At Long Last -- Authentic Photographs of Flying Saucer [?]"
Powell said it should be read carefully.
"You'll notice that on my screamer, I put a question mark," he said. "I was covering my butt a little bit."
Hills said he may not be able to explain it, but he knows one thing. "It's a great story."
Gen. Nathan Twining Chief of Staff, US Air Force;'
Perhaps the most compelling military documents on UFOs to surface is the memo written by a one Gen Nathan Twining Chief of Staff of the US Air Force;This document seems to indicate that SOME UFOs are indeed ET in origins and paints the USAF at that time, in a very different but highly serious concern on UFOs;
Below is declassified letter by Gen Nathan Twining that was written on September 23, 1947 in which he discusses flying saucers
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Twining_02.jpg
Gen Nathan Twining Chief of Staff of the US Air Force;
http://keyholepublishing.com/1947-9-23-TWINMEM1.JPG
Air Material Command Opinion Concerning Flying Discs;
This is a memo from Lieut.Gen. NF Twining to Brig.Gen. George Schulgen; regarding "Flying Discs"
Document date: 1947-09-23;
Department: Air Materiel Command Opinion Concerning "Flying Discs" ;
Author: Lieut.Gen. N.F. Twining;
Document type: Memo;
http://files.abovetopsecret.com/uplo...ing_Memo_1.jpg
http://foia.abovetopsecret.com/ultim...pt_23_1947.pdf
************************************************** ********
The Twining Memo;
(This is a transcription from the original memo. As much as possible, the original format has been preserved.)
SUBJECT: AMC Opinion Concerning "Flying Discs"
TO: Commanding General;
This letter was sent out from Air Material Commands (AMC) in response to a request from Brig General Schulgen. As a result of the opinions expressed by Twining, Gen Schulgen issued his now famous Collection Memorandum.
Gen. Twining requested that investigations be conducted that might shed some light on the recent rash of Flying Saucer sightings. In response to the Schugen Collection Memorandum, The Walker Memo was sent to see what field offices could find.
Some proponents view this letter as proof that the Air Force knows that extraterrestrial UFOs exist. The closest the the letter comes to considering alien origin is the opinion that [there is] "The possibility that some foreign nation has a form of propulsion possibly nuclear, which is outside of our domestic knowledge." However, the proponents tend to ignore, or dismiss as an "obvious lie" dictated by the Super Secret Roswell Conspiracy, the instruction that his commanders should consider:
"The lack of physical evidence in the shape of crash recovered exhibits which would undeniably prove the existence of these subjects."
Army Air Force
Washington 25, D.C.;
ATTENTION: Brig. General George Schulgen;
AC/AS-2
1. As requested by AC/AS-2 there is presented below the considered opinion of this command concerning the so-called "Flying Discs." This opinion is based on interrogation report data furnished by AC/AS-2 and preliminary studies by personnel of T-2 and Aircraft Laboratory, Engineering Division T-3. This opinion was arrived at in a conference between personnel from the Air Institute of Technology, Intelligence T-2, Office, Chief of Engineering Division, and the Aircraft, Power Plant and Propeller Laboratories of Engineering Division T-3.
2. It is the opinion that:
a. The phenomenon is something real and not visionary or fictitious.
b. There are objects probably approximating the shape of a disc, of such appreciable size as to appear to be as large as man-made aircraft.
c. There is a possibility that some of the incidents may be caused by natural phenomena, such as meteors.
d. The reported operating characteristics such as extreme rates of climb, maneuverability (particularly in roll), and motion which must be considered evasive when sighted or contacted by friendly aircraft and radar, lend belief to the possibility that some of the objects are controlled either manually, automatically or remotely.
e. The apparent common description is as follows:-
(1) Metallic or light reflecting surface.
(2) Absence of trail, except in a few instances where the object apparently was operating under high performance conditions.
(3) Circular or elliptical in shape, flat on bottom and domed on top.
(4) Several reports of well kept formation flights varying from three to nine objects.
(5) Normally no associated sound, except in three instances a substantial rumbling roar was noted.
(6) Level flight speeds normally above 300 knots are estimated.
f. It is possible within the present U.S. knowledge -- provided extensive detailed development is undertaken -- to construct a piloted aircraft which has the general description of the object in sub- paragraph (e) above which would be capable of an approximate range of 7000 miles at subsonic speeds.
g. Any development in this country along the lines indicated would be extremely expensive, time consuming and at the considerable expense of current projects and therefore, if directed, should be set up independently of existing projects.
h. Due consideration must be given the following:-
(1) The possibility that these objects are of domestic origin - the product of some high security project not known to AC/AS-2 or this Command.
(2) The lack of physical evidence in the shape of crash recovered exhibits which would undeniably prove the existence of these subjects.
(3) The possibility that some foreign nation has a form of propulsion possibly nuclear, which is outside of our domestic knowledge.
3. It is recommended that:-
a. Headquarters, Army Air Forces issue a directive assigning a priority, security classification and Code name for a detailed study of this matter to include the preparation of complete sets of all available and pertinent data which will then be made available to the Army, Navy, Atomic Energy Commission, JRDB, the Air Force Scientific Advisory Group, NACA,
and the RAND and NEPA projects for comments and recommendations, with a preliminary report to be forwarded within 15 days of receipt of the data and a detailed report thereafter every 30 days as the investigation develops. A complete interchange of data should be affected.
4. Awaiting a specific directive AMC will continue the investigation within its current resources in order to more closely define the nature of the phenomenon. Detailed Essential Elements of Information will be formulated immediately for transmittal thru channels.
link; http://www.roswellfiles.com/FOIA/twining.htm
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1932279274888146526
Some info on Gen Nathan Twining Chief of Staff of the US Air Force below;
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++
Nathan Farragut Twining, KBE (pronounced /ˈtwaɪnɪŋ/ twy-ning; October 11, 1897 - March 29, 1982) was a United States Air Force General, born in Monroe, Wisconsin.[1] He was Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from 1953 until 1957. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1957 to 1960 he was the first member of the Air Force to serve in that role.
Military offices;
Preceded byGen. Hoyt Vandenberg Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force;
1953–1957 Succeeded by
Gen. Thomas D. White
Preceded by
Adm. Arthur W. Radford Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
1957–1960 Succeeded by
Gen. Lyman Lemnitzer
[show]v · d · e
link; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Twining
The Incident at Exeter (Muscarello Case);1965
This is one UFO case that is considered a "very high strangeness encounter";
************************************************** ********
The Incident at Exeter (Muscarello Case);1965;
Date: September 3, 1965;
Location: Exeter, New Hampshire, United States;
quote;
"Norman Muscarello, a teenage Navy recruit, was walking down a quiet country highway at night, when suddenly, a huge object loomed above him. Thus began the "Incident at Exeter," a series of sightings officially qualified as "unidentified." The encounters that night took special precedence over other UFO sightings because of the credibility of two Exeter police officers who also saw the UFO, as well as that of the dispatcher and supervising officer who first heard Muscarello's account".
http://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/pic...erDrawing2.jpg
http://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/pictures/Exeter1.jpg
Left to right: 18 year old Norman Muscarello who first spotted the UFO, patrolman David Hunt and Eugene Bertrand and dispatcher "Scratch" Toland. (Manchester Union Leader);
http://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/pictures/Exeter2.jpg
Norman Muscarello speaks to the Journalism class at Exeter High School in 1980, his first public interview since the "Incident at Exeter" in 1965. (Courtesy Talon);
Type of Case/Report: MajorCase
Hynek Classification: CE1
Number of Witnesses: Multiple
Special Features/Characteristics: Police, Animal Reaction, Witness Photo;
************************************************** ********
The Exeter, NH/Muscarello Case Directory;
NICAP;
Articles and documents related to the case.
Full Investigation by Raymond Fowler (NICAP);
Raymond Fowler, "UFOs: Interplanetary Visitors" (reprinted on NICAP.org)
Raymond Fowler's report on his investigation of the "Incident at Exeter."
The Exeter Puzzle;
TRUE Magazine's Report On Flying Saucers, 1967 (reprinted on UFOs at Close Sight)
This is the full article, including several photographs, from the TRUE Magazine's Report On Flying Saucers, 1967.
J. Allen Hynek: The Incident at Exeter
Excerpt from Hynek, J. Allen . "The Hynek UFO Report" (1977)
Excerpt from J. Allen Hynek's book, "The Hynek UFO Report," discussing the Exeter UFO encounter case. R
Interview With the Witnesses of the Exeter Incident
Dennis Robinson / SeaCoastNH.com
Fifteen years after the "incident at Exeter", students at Exeter High School with teacher Dennis Robinson interviewed key witnesses to the event.
Boston Globe: 'Close encounter revisited'
Joel Brown, Boston Globe (Sept. 1, 2005)
"Forty years ago this Saturday, New Hampshire teenager Norman Muscarello walked down a dark country road into weird history." R
Print / Other References
Fuller, John Grant. "Incident at Exeter". Putnam, 1966.
Full Report / Article
Source: The Portsmouth Herald (Portsmouth, NH), Sept. 2, 2005 Original Source
"UFO Sighting Terrified Locals 40 Years Ago"
By Bonnie Meroth;
The Portsmouth Herald;
EXETER - Engulfed in the blackness of a late summer night, a teenage Navy recruit walked down the quiet country highway. Suddenly, a huge object loomed above him. Throwing himself to the ground to avoid being hit, he huddled against a stone wall. The blood drained from his face.
The time was around 2 a.m. The date was Sept. 3, 1965. Thus began the "Incident at Exeter," a series of sightings officially qualified as a legitimate visit from an unidentified flying object.
In September and October 1965, several sightings in New Hampshire were carefully investigated and documented by local and federal offices.
The encounters that night took special precedence over other UFO sightings because of the credibility of Exeter police officers Eugene Bertrand and David Hunt, as well as Reginald "Scratch" Toland, who was dispatcher and supervising officer when the shaken teenager, Norman Muscarello, came to the police station claiming he had encountered a UFO.
A similar report substantiated his story. Earlier, Bertrand had come upon a lone woman parked on the side of Route 101 near an overpass two miles outside Exeter.
She said a huge, silent, red and brilliantly glowing airborne object had chased her from the town of Epping about 12 miles away. It had been only a few feet from her car before it departed at a tremendous speed and disappeared.
Bertrand saw nothing but a bright star and sent her home. Toland also spoke to the woman, who told him she had been chased by the "low-flying, large, round object with flashing red lights."
An hour later, Bertrand received a call from Toland to report back to the station immediately because "a kid had come in who had seen a UFO." The police officer picked up Muscarello at the station.
The teen led him back to the site where he'd seen the craft. After sitting in the parked cruiser for several minutes, Bertrand radioed the dispatcher to say they saw nothing unusual.
Bertrand, instructed to check out the field before heading back, proceeded to do so with Muscarello.
Horses in a nearby barn began to kick and whinny. Dogs in the neighborhood began to howl.
Muscarello shouted, "Look out, here it comes!" and they watched as something luminous rose from behind tall evergreens.
The aircraft, about 100 feet away, silently sped so close to Bertrand that he dropped to the ground and drew his service weapon.
"There was this huge, dark object as big as that barn over there with red flashing lights on it," Bertrand later told an investigator. "It barely cleared that tree right there, and it was moving back and forth... It seemed to tilt and come right at us. Norman told me later that I was yelling, 'I'll shoot it! I'll shoot it!' I did drop on one knee and drew my service revolver, but I didn't shoot."
Bertrand, dragged Muscarello, frozen with fear, back to the cruiser.
From the car, the men saw no tail, no wings and heard no sound.
Already en route, Hunt arrived within minutes and saw the UFO as it "floated, wobbled and did things that no plane could do" before it darted away toward Hampton. They returned to the station to write their report.
Toland received a call shortly after from a Hampton telephone operator who said that a distressed motorist attempted to contact the police from a pay phone. He yelled at the operator, saying he was being chased by a flying saucer that came right at him and that it was still out there. He was then disconnected.
A Hampton Police Department's blotter entry for that night reads: "September 3, 1965: 3 a.m. Exeter Police Department reports unidentified flying object in that area. Units 2, 4 and Pease Air Force alerted. At 3:17 a.m., received a call from Exeter operator and Officer Toland. Advised that a male subject called and asked for police department, further stating that call was in re: a large unidentified flying object, but call was cut off. Call received from a Hampton pay phone, location unknown."
The official report to Project Blue Book from the director of administrative services of the Pease Air Force Base at Portsmouth concluded with this paragraph by the investigator: "At this time, have been unable to arrive at a probable cause of this sighting. The three observers seem to be stable, reliable persons, especially the two patrolmen. I viewed the area and found nothing in the area that could be the probable cause."
Project Blue Book is a compilation by the U.S. government to repute the existence of extraterrestrial objects.
Peter Geremia, New Hampshire state director of the Mutual Unidentified Flying Object Network Inc., noted: "The police officers involved put their careers on the line. They courageously came forward and stated what they saw at a time when witnesses were not allowed any credibility on the subject."
Geremia, who has appeared on national media programs including "Unsolved Mysteries," presented chronological depiction of what happened the night of the Incident at Exeter.
His "decent rendition of what happened" matches the series of events starting with Muscarello being frightened by a UFO.
Bertrand, although an Air Force veteran, was never able to put a name to the UFO.
"What do you call a UFO? Was it from another planet? We just couldn't identify it," he noted.
He meticulously described it as a "huge, shapeless object with five sequentially pulsating-from-left-to-right bright red lights, so bright you couldn't look at it."
The Pentagon repeatedly denied the sightings, but the incident was read into the congressional record in April 1966 by Raymond Fowler, representative of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena in Washington. It was the first open congressional hearing on UFOs.
Fowler, internationally renowned author of 11 books about UFOs, has studied UFO reports for decades.
In a recent interview, he shared his thoughts on the Exeter incident and the stories that followed.
"The second-hand speculation stories were varied and perhaps hypothesized," Fowler said. "Muscarello's mother purportedly saw confidential drawings of a UFO landing site pattern that was handcuffed to an Air Force investigator who visited her house. The neighboring farmer was instructed by the Air Force to plow under landing marks in his field.
"The hens in the neighborhood stopped laying eggs. The air-base intelligence officer was seen buying up all the newspapers carrying stories about Sept. 3. A base commander was seen in civilian clothes rather than uniform while investigating," he related.
Then, there was the irrefutable.
"There were major similarities with these area sightings that conform to documented cases. UFOs tend to be seen near swamps, major power lines or nuclear sources. Muscarello noticed the object coming from over a line of trees behind which were major power lines. There was a swamp in the area. Pease and the Navy yard both had nuclear power entities. And, when a Pease Air Force base commander attempted to disprove it was a UFO by simulating the incident by turning on runway lights, he failed," noted Fowler.
Fowler, now retired from active investigation, noted in a letter to the United States Air Force, "The UFO sighted by Norman Muscarello was identical to the UFO seen later by Muscarello, Bertrand and Hunt.
"There is no question in my mind that the same or similar object was involved in both of these particular sightings.
"Since I did not interview the unnamed woman, I am not certain of the details... but according to Officer Bertrand, the object... was very similar to the UFO they sighted later... another witness, a male motorist, also sighted a similar object..."
Because of the viability of the testimonies of those involved on the night of Sept. 3, 1965, and because of Fowler's testimony into the Congressional Record in April 1966, the United States Air Force admitted that indeed, the Incident at Exeter involved an unidentified flying object.
Case ID: 426
link; http://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case426.htm
Incident at Exeter/Hynek, J. Allen ."The Hynek UFO
Following on from my last post that covered the UFO Incident at Exeter (Muscarello Case);1965;Below is the conclusions and report of Dr Hynek, chief UFO scientific investigator for the USAF investigations into UFOs;
************************************************** ********
Incident at Exeter, Pt. 1 of 2 (Hynek).repost;
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 1997 22:52:52 -0500
To: UFO UpDates - Toronto <[email protected]>
From: "Jerry Cohen" <[email protected]>
Subject: Incident at Exeter, Pt. 1 of 2 (Hynek)
QUOTE;
"For those people that read the Oberg/Cooper series, I had mentioned
that Dr. Hynek, the Air Force's number one civilian astronomical
consultant, slowly turned from a debunker to a believer and I cited
some things that happened along the way to cause this".
The following case, also located in Blue Book files, had to
be one of the major precipitating factors. I had recently
posted a brief summary of the case in a post to John Powell.
Most researchers are quite familiar with it, but for those
people out there not old enough to remember, but who are reading
this mail and attempting to fathom where some of the researchers
today are coming from, this was just one of many items that Dr.
Hynek found impossible to reconcile in his many years dealing
with UFO reports. It sounds like science fiction, but it was on the
police blotter and in Blue Book files.
Remember, we only need one of these cases we are mentioning
along the way to be the real thing for us to demonstrate the
necessity for the varied research being performed today by
various civilian groups. You may not agree with all their
methods, but _someone_ has to examine this thing seriously.
The scientific establishment has simply shaken its head and
said; "We don't know what it was or if it was real." This
was not much help to the two patrolmen who "experienced" and
reported the following events. God knows we need more
"scientists" taking it seriously.
Excerpt below taken directly from:
Hynek, J. Allen . "The Hynek UFO Report" . paperback, pp
154-166 . Dell Publishing Co. 1977 : which included material
therein from Blue Book files.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
http://www.cohenufo.org/Images.GIF/hyneksml.jpg
Dr. Hynek:
The "Incident at Exeter" - September 3, 1965 *
Dr. Hynek: "Incident" is hardly the term for this classic
Close Encounter case which is known to virtually all who
have followed the UFO phenomenon. This encounter at Exeter,
New Hampshire gained national prominence, and caused both
the original witnesses and the Air Force considerable
embarrassment.
Not only is this a fine example of a Close
Encounter of the First Kind, but it is a showcase
illustration of Blue Book negligence, put-down of witnesses,
attempts to explain away the testimony of responsible
witnesses with a parade of "official" explanations, and of
capitulation on the part of the Pentagon which, months
later, had to admit that the case should have been carried
as "Unidentified."
The file folders in Blue Book, however,still have the original evaluation of "Astro-Stars/Planets"and "Aircraft for Operation Big Blast." (The astronomical
evaluation is completely untenable and Operation Big Blast
terminated more than an hour before the incident at Exeter
began, according to official records.)
The story of this case is well documented in John Fuller's book
"The Incident at Exeter," and in an excellent report by Raymond
Fowler and his associates, who did a far better job investigating
the case than did Blue Book. I am indebted to Mr. Fowler for the
excerpts from his report that follow. Blue Book files on this case
are fairly extensive in themselves although they draw heavily on the
report by Mr. Fowler.
Blue Book's first mention of the incident at Exeter is dated
October 15, 1965, and comes in the form of a request from the
Headquarters of the 817th Air Division (SAC) at Pease AFB, New
Hampshire. Written by their Director of Information for the
Commander, and addressed to the Information Officer at
Wright-Patterson AFB, it reads:
. . .
There have been an unusually high number of reported sightings
of unidentified flying objects in the Pease AFB, New Hampshire, area
which have been the subject of much discussion and numerous
newspaper, radio and television reports. Many of these sightings
have been reported to this base and your records will show that we
have performed thorough investigations of the . . .
Several members of this command have actually been called to view UFOs by sincere and sober citizens but as yet, we have always been too late or
"unlucky." The most interesting sighting, in the nearby town of
Exeter, aroused special interest as two policemen saw the object at
very close range. . .
This office has, of course, not commented on sightings reported
to the Air Force other than to say that they have been or are being
investigated, that the reports will be sent to your organization,
that further releases will be made from the Public Information
Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, etc.
The fact that we cannot comment on the investigations has led to somewhat alarming suspicion of Air Force motives and interest in this area, the most
popular belief being that "...the Air Force won't release the truth
because if the truth were known, everyone would be panicked." I
have attempted to counter this by explaining the USAF's interest in
this matter every time I speak to the press or private citizens
about this matter. . . Still, however, an alarming number of people
remain unconvinced {!}.
Many members of the two nearby Military Affairs committees and
key citizens from surrounding towns and cities have inquired
concerning the possibility of an Air Force speaker on this subject.
Do you operate a speaker's bureau or would you be able to suggest
where I might be able to obtain knowledge of an Air Force spokesman
who could explain the Air Force UFO program and what happens to
reports sent to your organization? If speakers from your
organization are available, it might be possible for us to arrange
transportation via Pease Base C-47, Billeting poses no problem.
Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
For the Commander
A.B.B., 1st Lt. USAF
Director of Information
Dr. Hynek: The initial report which came in from Pease AFB
on September 15, 1965, was the soul of brevity.
"The following report of an unidentified object is
hereby submitted in accordance with AFR-200-2.
A) Description of Object;
1) round
2) baseball
3) bright red
4) five red lights in a row
5) lights were close together and moved as one object
6) none
7) none
8) none
9) extremely bright red
B) Description of Course of Object;
1) visual sighting
2) object was at an altitude of approximately 100 feet
and moved in an arc of 135 degrees;
3) object disappeared at an altitude of approximately
one hundred feet on a magnetic heading of
approximately 160 degrees;
4) the object was erratic in movement and would
disappear behind houses and building in the area.
It would then appear at a position other than where
it disappeared. When in view, it would act as a
floating leaf.
5) object departed on a heading of 160 degrees and was
observed until it disappeared in the distance
6) one hour;
C) Manner of Observation;
1) ground-visual
2) none
3) N/A;
D) Time and Date of Sighting
1) 3/9/0600 Z
2) night
E) Location of Observer
1) 3 nautical miles SW of Exeter in New Hampshire
F) Identifying Information of Observer
1) civilian, Norman J. Muscarello, age 18.... appears
to be reliable.
2) civilian, Eugene F. Bertrand, Jr., age 30, Exeter
Police Department, Exeter, New Hampshire,
patrolman, reliable
3) civilian, David R. Hunt, age 28, Exeter Police
Department, Exeter, New Hampshire, patrolman,
reliable
G) Weather and Winds;
1) weather was clear with no known weather phenomena.
There was a five-degree inversion from surface to
5,000'.
2) winds at Pease AFB (the winds were uniformly from
the west, low velocity near the surface to quite
high above 10,000')
3) clear (unlimited)
4) 30 nautical miles
5) None
6) None
H) None
I) None
J) None
K) Major David H. Griffin, Base Disaster Control Officer,
Command pilot;
1) at this time I have been unable to arrive at a
probably cause of this sighting. The three
observers seem to be stable, reliable persons,
especially the two patrolmen. I viewed the area of
the sighting and found nothing in the area that
could be the probable cause. Pease AFB had five
B-47 aircraft flying in the area during this period
but I do not believe that they had any connection
with this sighting.
Dr. Hynek: The report in Blue Book continues with the statements of
the three witnesses involved. The first, from Norman Muscarello,
follows:
I, Norman J. Muscarello, was hitchhiking on Rt. 150,
three miles south of Exeter, New Hampshire, at 0200 hours on
the 3rd of September. A group of five bright red lights
appeared over a house about a hundred feet from where I was
standing. The lights were in a line at about a sixty-degree
angle.
They were so bright, they lighted up the area. The
lights then moved out over a large field and acted at times
like a floating leaf. They would go down behind the trees,
behind a house and then reappear. They always moved in the
same sixty-degree angle. Only one light would be on at a
time. They were pulsating: one, two, three, four, five,
four, three, two, one. They were so bright I could not
distinguish a form to the object.
I watched these lights for about fifteen minutes and they finally disappeared behindsome trees and seemed to go into a field. At one time while
I was watching them, they seemed to come so close I jumped
into a ditch to keep from being hit. After the lights went
into a field, I caught a ride to the Exeter Police Station
and reported what I had seen.
signed,
Norman J. Muscarello
Dr. Hynek: The statement from the first patrolman, who after being
called to the scene also witnessed the UFO:
I, Eugene F. Bertrand, Jr., was cruising on the morning
of the 3rd of September at 0100 on Rt. 108 bypass near
Exeter, New Hampshire. I noticed an automobile parked on the
side of the road and stopped to investigate. I found a woman
in the car who stated she was too upset to drive. She stated
that a light had been following her car and had stopped over
her car. I stayed with her about fifteen minutes but was
unable to see anything.
I departed and reported back to Exeter Police Station where I found Norman Muscarello. He related his story of seeing some bright red lights in the
field. After taking him back to where he stated that he had
seen the lights. When we had gone about fifty feet, a group
of five bright red lights came from behind a group of trees
near us.
They were extremely bright and flashed on one at a
time. The lights started to move around over the field. At
one time, they came so close I fell to the ground and
started to draw my gun. The lights were so bright, I was
unable to make out any form. There was no sound or vibration
but the farm animals were upset in the area and were making
a lot of noise. When the lights started coming near us
again, Mr. Muscarello and I ran to the car.
I radioed Patrolman David Hunt who arrived in a few minutes. He also
observed the lights which were still over the field but not
as close as before. The lights moved out across the field at
an estimated altitude of one hundred feet, and finally
disappeared in the distance at the same altitude. The lights
were always in line at about a sixty-degree angle. When the
object moved, the lower lights were always forward of the
others.
signed,
Eugene F. Bertrand, Patrolman
Dr. Hynek: From the third witness:
I, David R. Hunt, at about 0255 on the morning of the
3rd of September, received a call from Patrolman Bertrand to
report to an area about three miles southwest of Exeter, New
Hampshire. Upon arriving at the scene, I observed a group of
bright red lights flashing in sequence.
They appeared to beabout one half mile over a field to the southeast. After
observing the lights for a short period of time, they moved
off in a southeasterly direction and disappeared in the
distance. The lights appeared to remain at the same altitude
which I estimate to be about one hundred feet.
signed,
David R. Hunt, Patrolman
Dr. Hynek: Blue Book's way of dealing with these witnesses'
reports was to make every effort to locate some type of
aircraft operation in the area in question; none was
successful.
A news clip from the Amesbury News, Massachusetts,
stated that the UFO was identified as an "ad gimmick"; but
Ray Fowler checked with the Skylight Aerial Advertising
Company and was advised that their aircraft was _not_ flying
on the night of September 3.
He was also informed that the company aircraft rarely flew into southern New Hampshire,and when it did, it was usually in the Salem and Manchester
areas, miles away from Exeter.Furthermore, he learned that
the "Skylight" aircraft does not carry red flashing lights;
it carries a rectangular sign with white flashing lights.
Yet the manager of the advertising company had stated to the
Amesbury News that "perhaps some UFOs reported in the New
Hampshire area could have been their aircraft."
Unfortunately, the press anxiously latched on to this bit of
irrelevant information to "explain" the Exeter case.
The two simultaneous investigations of this case are an
interesting study in contrasts. The Air Force records are at
best sketchy, and focus essentially on attempts at locating
existing aircraft in the area; as usual, Blue Book started
out its investigation with a negative premise. On the other
hand, Raymond Fowler and his associates made an exhaustive
examination of the case, keeping their minds open at all
times. Their final reports were duly submitted to Blue Book.
The following is excerpted from Fowler's report, which
supplements Muscarello's statement to the Air Force
investigator:
. . .
Muscarello reported the incident to Desk Officer
Reginald Towland at about 1:45 A.M. EDT. Side view and angle
view seen. He was hit with fear and hardly able to talk. A
radio call was made to Officer Bertrand asking him to return
to the station, pick up Muscarello, and investigate at the
scene of the sighting which he did. Upon arriving at the Carl
Dining field, the object was nowhere to be seen.
After waiting and looking from the cruiser for several minutes,
Bertrand radioed headquarters that there was nothing there
and that the boy must have been imagining things. It was
then suggested that he examine the field before returning,
so Bertrand and Muscarello advanced into the field.
As the police officer played his flashlight beam back and forth
over the field, Muscarello sighted the object rising slowly
from behind some nearby trees and shouted. Bertrand swung
around and saw a large dark object carrying a straight row
of four extraordinarily bright, red, pulsating lights coming
into the field at treetop level.
It swung around toward the man just clearing a sixty-to seventy-foot tree and seemingly only one hundred feet away from them. Instinctively, Officer
Bertrand drew his service revolver (he stated that
Muscarello shouted, "Shoot it!"), but thinking this unwise,
replaced it and yelled to Muscarello to take cover in the
cruiser.
He told me (Fowler) that he was afraid that they
both would be burnt by the blinding lights closing in on
them. They ran to the cruiser where Bertrand immediately put
in a radio call to headquarters for assistance. Officer Hunt
arrived within minutes, and the trio observed the object
move away over and below the tree line.
Dr. Hynek:
Now let us return to the Blue Book coverage for
a look at an interesting exchange of letters between the
then Major Quintanilla and the police officers involved.
Quintanilla states:
Our investigations and evaluation of the sighting
indicates a possible association with the Air Force
operation "Big Blast." In addition to aircraft from this
operation, there were five (5) B-47 aircraft flying in the
area during this period. Before final evaluation of your
sighting can be made, it is essential for us to know if
either of you witnessed any aircraft in the area during this
time period, either independently or in connection with the
observed object.
Since there were many aircraft in the area,
at he time, and there were no reports of unidentified
objects from personnel engaged in this air operation, we
might then assume that the objects observed between midnight
and two A.M. might be associated with this military air
operation. If, however, these aircraft were noted by either
of you, this would tend to eliminate this air operation as a
possible explanation for the objects observed.
Signed,
Hector Quintanilla, Jr.
Major, USAF, Chief,
Project Blue Book;
Incident at Exeter, Pt. 2 of 2 (Hynek).
Part two of The Hynek UFO Report on the UFO Incident at Exeter;
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Hynek, J. Allen . "The Hynek UFO Report" . paperback, pp
154-166 . Dell Publishing Co. 1977 : and also, material
therein from Blue Book files.
Dr. Hynek: It is interesting to note that Maj. Quintanilla
had used the term "before a final evaluation of your sighting
can be made," whereas the Pentagon had in fact already issued
its evaluation (attributing the sighting to Operation Big
Blast) some time before Quintanilla wrote his letter.
Maj. Quintanilla received a prompt reply from Officers
Bertrand and Hunt. Their letter of December 2, 1965, reads:
"Dear Sir:
We were very glad to get your letter during the third
week in November, because as you might imagine, we have been
the subject of considerable ridicule since the Pentagon
released its "final evaluation" of our sighting of September
3, 1965.
In other words, both Patrolman Hunt and myself saw
this object at close range, checked it out with each other,
confirmed and reconfirmed the fact that this was not any kind
of conventional aircraft, that it was at an altitude of not
more than a couple of hundred feet and went to considerable
trouble to confirm that the weather was clear, there was no
wind, no chance of weather inversion, and that what we were
seeing was in no way a military or civilian craft.
We entered this in a complete official police report as a supplement to
the blotter of the morning of September 3rd (not September 2
as your letter indicates).
Since our job depends on accuracy and the ability to tell
the difference between fact and fiction, we were naturally
disturbed by the Pentagon report issued which attributed the
sighting to "multiple high-altitude objects in area" and
"weather inversion."
What is a little difficult to understand is the fact that your letter arrived considerably after the Pentagon release. Since your letter says that you are still in the process of making a final evaluation, it seems that
there is an inconsistency here. Ordinarily, this would not be
too important except for the fact that in a situation like
this, we are naturally very reluctant to be considered
irresponsible in our official report to the police station.
One of us (Patrolman Bertrand) was in the Air Force for four
years, engaged in refueling operations, with all kinds of
military aircraft; it was impossible to mistake what we saw
for any kind of military operation, regardless of altitude.
It was also definitely not a helicopter or balloon.
Immediately after the object disappeared, we did see what
probably was a B-47 at high altitudes, but it bore no
relation to the object that we saw.
Another fact is that the time of our observation was
nearly an hour after two A.M. which would eliminate the Air
Force Operation Big Blast since as you say, this took place
between midnight and 2 A.M. Norman Muscarello, who first
reported this object before we went to the site, saw it
somewhere in the vicinity of 2 A.M. but nearly an hour had
passed before he got to the police station and we went out to
the location with him.
We would both appreciate it very much if you would help
us eliminate the possible conclusion that some people have
made in that we might have: (a) made up the story, (b) were
incompetent observers. Anything that you could do along this
line would be very much appreciated, and I am sure that you
can understand the position we are in.
We appreciate the problem that the Air Force must have
with the number of irresponsible reports on this subject, and
don't want to cause you unnecessary trouble. One the other
hand, we think that you probably understand our position.
Thanks very much for your interest.
Sincerely,
Patrolman Eugene Bertrand;
and Patrolman David Hunt;
Dr. Hynek: They received no reply to this letter. They wrote
again on December 29:
Dear Sir:
Since we have not heard from you since our letter of
December 2, we are writing this to request some kind of an
answer since we are still upset about what happened after the
Pentagon released its news that we had just seen stars or
planets, or high-altitude air exercises.
As we mentioned in our last letter to you, it could not
have been the Operation Big Blast you mentioned since the
time of our sighting was an hour after that exercise and it
may not have even been the same date since you refer to our
sighting as September 2.
Our sighting was on September 3. In addition, as we mentioned, we are both familiar with all theB-47's and B-52's and helicopters and jet fighters which are
going over this place all the time. On top of this, Patrolman
Bertrand had four years of refueling experience in the Air
Force and knows regular aircraft of all kinds.
Click here for more information regarding the Exeter sightings.
link; http://www.cohenufo.org/authorsc.html#exeternh
link; http://www.cohenufo.org/Hynek/hynk_exeter2.htm
UFOS & NUKES | U.S. Air Force/Military witnesses;
In this section the area of UFOs interfering or manipulating nuclear facilities will be covered in the following posts;This area i feel needs highlighting as there have been so many military witnesses who have came forward to share their experiences;
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UFOS & NUKES | U.S. Air Force Fighters Chased UFOs at Malmstrom AFB in the 1960s and ‘70s;
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By Robert Hastings;
www.ufohastings.com
3-19-11;
quote;
" My father, USAF Senior Master Sergeant Robert E. Hastings, was stationed at Malmstrom AFB, Montana in 1966-67 and worked in the SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) building which housed the base’s sophisticated, NORAD-integrated radar facility.
As some former members of the 29th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS) based at Malmstrom will recall, there were several scrambles during that era involving intercept attempts of “unknown targets” that were being tracked on radar as they maneuvered near and/or hovered above various Minuteman nuclear missile sites scattered across the surrounding countryside".
I possess a fake 29th FIS uniform patch, impishly created by a former squadron member, which features a strange-looking creature seated in the cockpit of a fighter and the caption “Land of Make Believe”—both being references to the, uh, interesting missions that some squadron members participated in during those years.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r2yLRHZi52...rm%2Bpatch.jpg
In the course of my 38-year research project on the UFO-Nukes Connection, I have interviewed retired Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar operators who tracked UFOs at Malmstrom and other USAF bases. In the late 1960s, Grover Austad worked as an FAA controller at Malmstrom’s SAGE building. In a telephone interview conducted in December 2003, he described one such incident:
“One night this object came on the radar and it was moving at tremendous speed,” he said, “We estimated that it was flying about 2,400 mph. Now, the controllers who worked at SAGE knew about the SR-71—even though it was still secret. But this thing, whatever it was, was even faster than that.” (The SR-71 “Blackbird” still holds the official record as the world’s fastest jet—at 2,193 mph—a speed achieved during a short-duration, straight-course flight on July 28, 1976.)
Austad continued,
“So I called ADC—that’s Air Defense Command—to see if they had it too. The controller I talked to said, ‘Yeah, I see it, but UFOs don’t exist, do they?’ Then he laughed sarcastically. The object played around for a few minutes. It zigzagged back-and-forth, covering hundreds of miles. Then it disappeared off the scope.”
Austad said that this tracking, and similar ones that he only heard about, involving other controllers at Malmstrom, were formally logged by the FAA controllers and then reported to the ADC radar unit at SAGE. “We always told them about what we saw [on radar], but they never gave us any feedback.”
Describing a different incident, another retired FAA controller who worked at Malmstrom’s Radar Approach and Control (RAPCON) center, Paul Selley, told me,
“Yeah, I was on that night when we tracked the UFOs. There were five of them. We tracked them for a short time and then they just disappeared. They were moving really fast—they went across the screen in no time. At first, we thought it might have been some high-altitude aircraft that the Air Force was testing, but to have five targets on the screen at once, that explanation wasn’t too realistic.”
When I asked Selley to estimate how many times UFOs had been tracked at RAPCON during the period that he worked there, he immediately responded,
“It wasn’t just once. I was on several times when we picked them up. It was strictly at night, usually between 7 o’clock and 11 o’clock. Now, some of [the incidents] might have been during the midnight shift—I worked them all—but I don’t recall any during that time, but there might have been some. I don’t remember tracking them in the daytime.”
When I asked Selley to describe exactly how the UFOs appeared on radar, he said,
“All of a sudden, they would just pop-up out of nowhere and cross our screens in just a few seconds. They were so fast that you couldn’t take your eye off them or they’d be gone. We’d call [the Air Force] to find out if they had [any of their own aircraft] up, but they never did.”
Referring to the Air Defense Command radar operators working at Malmstrom’s SAGE building, he added,
“We heard rumors that they were tracking the objects too, but whenever we asked them about it, they would just clam-up and wouldn’t verify it. Sometimes, they would claim that we were just tracking false targets, but they never would confirm that we were tracking UFOs.”
Despite these denials, Selley said that he and the other controllers all held the same opinion about the nature of the unknown targets.
“We thought that they were [bona fide] UFOs,” he said, “We didn’t have anything that could move across the screen as fast as they did. They were moving at thousands of miles per hour, faster than the SR-71.”
Selley suggested that I call O.P. “Pote” Morrow, who worked as a supervisor at RAPCON from 1967 to 1980. Initially, Morrow said that he didn’t remember any incidents when UFOs had been tracked on radar at Malmstrom. However, when I mentioned that I had worked as a teen-aged janitor at RAPCON in 1966-67 and had once been told by one of the controllers that Air Force jet interceptors had been scrambled to intercept five UFOs, he interrupted me and said,
“You know, you’ve jogged my memory. Now that you’ve mentioned it, I do recall something about fighters being sent up one time to chase unknown targets. They went southwest, but when they got out there, they couldn’t see anything. They were vectored right to the spot but nothing was there.”
Whether Morrow or anyone else with the FAA knew it or not, Air Force radar controllers at Malmstrom later reported that the five unknowns—which were actually southeast, not southwest of the base—had ascended vertically at high velocity as the jets approached their position.
This incident is described in greater detail in my book UFOs and Nukes: Extraordinary Encounters at Nuclear Weapons Sites, which is available at my website.
For whatever reason, unlike Austad and Selley, Morrow’s demeanor was guarded and at times evasive. His claim that fighters had only been scrambled “one time” during the lengthy period of his employment at RAPCON is simply untrue, according to others in-the-know. For example, when I called another former FAA controller, “Bud” Kittleson, to ask about UFOs being tracked at RAPCON and SAGE, he said,
“There were objects that were unknown that were tracked on radar out near Lewistown, and some closer to Great Falls. There were some occasions where [the Air Force] did scramble aircraft out of Great Falls. As far as I know, nothing was found.”
Kittleson said he didn’t remember an incident when five unknowns were simultaneously tracked. However, significantly, he did acknowledge that fighters had been launched from Malmstrom to intercept UFOs on more than one occasion. Also noteworthy is his reference to Lewistown, Montana, located not far south of Echo and Oscar Flights, where credible reports by former Minuteman missile launch officers say that UFOs were involved in missile shutdown incidents in March 1967.
That said, there is currently no evidence available to link those cases with the trackings described by Kittleson.
Another retired controller, Joe Weinzetl, told me,
“There were a couple of times when Jerry Webster and I tracked unknown objects moving at high speeds. I remember we estimated that one of them was traveling around 1,700 miles per hour.
It was at high-altitude and only appeared on our screen for about 20 seconds. On another occasion, Paul [Selley] was there with me when we tracked one. Whenever something like that happened, we called the [FAA] In-Route Traffic Control Center and told them about it. But that’s where we left it. We never heard anything back once we reported it.”
Declassified U.S. government documents referring to these kinds of incidents are relatively rare. However, one Air Force letter released via the Freedom of Information Act—containing North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) log entries describing UFO incursions at Malmstrom’s missile sites in November 1975—refers to the radar tracking of the objects, which subsequently played cat-and-mouse with the F-106 jet fighters sent up to chase them. A few of the log entries follow here—some of them followed by my own comments in brackets:
24th NORAD Region Senior Director’s Log (Malmstrom AFB, MT)
7 Nov 75 (1035Z) Received a call from the 341st Strategic Air Command Post (SAC CP), saying that the following missile locations reported seeing a large red to orange to yellow object: M-1, L-3, LIMA, and L-6...Commander and Deputy for Operations (DO) informed.
7 Nov 75 (1203Z) SAC advised that the LCF at Harlowton, Montana, observed an object which emitted a light which illuminated the site driveway.
7 Nov 75 (1319Z) SAC advised K-1 says very bright object to their east is now southeast of them and they are looking at it with 10x50 binoculars. Object seems to have lights (several) on it, but no distinct pattern. The orange/gold object overhead also seems to have lights on it. SAC also advised female civilian reports having seen an object bearing south of her position six miles west of Lewistown. [RH: Note that all of these reports refer to the observation of aerial “objects.”
Apparently, the Security Alert Teams could not identify them as either military or civilian aircraft.]
7 Nov 75 (1327Z) L-1 reports that the object to their northeast seems to be issuing a black object from it, tubular in shape. In all this time, surveillance [radar] has not been able to detect any sort of track except for known traffic. [RH: In other words, when these sightings were first reported by SATs, radar personnel at Malmstrom AFB and Great Falls International Airport could not detect any unknown aerial objects near the missile sites. As we shall see, radar contact with the UFOs was finally established as the sightings continued to unfold.]
8 Nov 75 (0635Z) A security camper team at K-4 reported UFO with white lights, one red light 50 yards behind white light. Personnel at K-1 seeing same object.
8 Nov 75 (0645Z) Height personnel picked up objects 10-13,000 feet. Track J330, EKLB 0649, 18 knots, 9,500 feet. Objects as many as seven, as few as two A/C. [RH: Height-finding radar finally confirmed that UFOs were present, varying over time between two and seven in number.]
8 Nov 75 (0753Z) J330 unknown 0753. Stationary/seven knots/12,000...two F-106...NCOC notified. [RH: Radar confirmed that one UFO, at an altitude of 12,000 feet, had hovered—that is, was “stationary”—before resuming flight at a leisurely 7 knots, or 9 mph. Shortly thereafter, two F-106s were scrambled to intercept it.]
8 Nov 75 (0905Z) From SAC CP: L-sites had fighters and objects; fighters did not get down to objects.
8 Nov 75 (0915Z) From SAC CP: From four different points: Observed objects and fighters; when fighters arrived in the area, the lights went out; when fighters departed, the lights came back on; To NCOC.
[RH: As SAT personnel at four different locations watched, the UFOs played cat-and-mouse with the F-106s, extinguishing their illumination as the jets approached their position and re-illuminating themselves after the fighters returned to base. The NORAD Combat Operations Center (NCOC) in Colorado Springs, Colorado was immediately informed of this incident.]
8 Nov 75 (1105Z) From SAC CP: L-5 reported object increased in speed — high velocity, raised in altitude and now cannot tell the object from stars. To NCOC.
9 Nov 75 (0305Z) SAC CP called and advised SAC crews at Sites L-1, L-6, and M-1 observing UFO. Object yellowish bright round light 20 miles north of Harlowton, 2 to 4,000 feet.
9 Nov 75 (0320Z) SAC CP reports UFO southeast of Lewistown, orange white disc object. 24th NORAD Region surveillance checking area. Surveillance unable to get height check. [RH: Note the reference to the UFO having a “disc” or saucer shape. Two more log entries from November 9th confirm that UFOs continued to be reported by SAT teams positioned near various missile launch facilities. Then the action moved from Malmstrom to Minot AFB, in North Dakota.]
10 Nov 75 (1125Z) UFO sighting reported by Minot Air Force Station, a bright star-like object in the west, moving east, about the size of a car...the object passed over the radar station, 1,000 to 2,000 feet high, no noise heard...NCOC notified.
END OF NORAD LOG ENTRIES;
In conclusion, UFOs were tracked by both USAF and FAA radar operators at Malmstrom AFB during the Cold War era. My “UFO-Nukes Connection” press conference in Washington D.C. last September included the participation of seven former or retired USAF personnel who described UFO activity at the ICBM sites outside of Malmstrom and other SAC bases in the '60s and '70s. CNN streamed the event live. The video of the press conference is at:
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More . . .
http://www.ufohastings.com/
See Also:
Malmstrom Air Force Base Picks Up UFO on Radar; "Sabotage Alert Team Located Another UFO Directly Over The Base"
http://www.theufochronicles.com/2008...up-ufo-on.html
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Air Force Staff Message: Malmstrom AFB Receives Multiple Reports of UFOs in The Great Falls, Montana Area
http://www.theufochronicles.com/2008...strom-afb.html
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UFOs & NUKES | Missile Shut Down at Malmstrom Confirmed By (Civilian) Veteran of Minuteman Program
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Investigation of UFO Reported Landing on 24 March 1967 Near Malmstrom AFB
http://www.theufochronicles.com/2009...d-landing.html
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SHARE YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE;
[email protected]
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Carpio Grano, North Dakota: UFO Lands Near Minutem
This next cases are interesting in the sense that credible military witnesses are saying that genuine UFO causes radio transmissions interference and that this lead to direct defensive measures taken in some cases;The below format is in the form of official documents showing reports of unknown object/s that where reported to the relevant military authorities;
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UFOs & NUKES | Carpio Grano, North Dakota: UFO Lands Near Minuteman Missile Base; Affects Radio Transmissions - Defensive Measures Taken!
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By Department of The Air Force;
Headquarters 862nd Combat Support Group (SAC)
Minot AFB, North Dakota;
8-24-1966;
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Air Force Personnel Observe UFOs Near Minuteman Missile Silo (Golf Launch) in Nebraska
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PXeDY3KOwg...B-%2B8-26-1965
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PXeDY3KOwg...-26-1965%2B(B)
By Department of The Air Force;
Headquarters 90th Strategic Missile Wing (SAC);
Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming;
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Farmer Reports UFO Over Nearby Minuteman II Missile Silo
4-13-1966;
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PXeDY3KOwg...lo%2B4-13-1966
By United States Air Force;
Headquarters 4th Strategic Aerospace Division (SAC);
4-13-1966;
Malmstrom AFB Receives Multiple Reports of UFOs;
Continuing with the format of unclassified documents on UFOs interfering or showing up at military nuclear facilities:
Air Force Staff Message: Malmstrom AFB Receives Multiple Reports of UFOs in The Great Falls, Montana Area;
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PXeDY3KOwg...h%2B1967%2B(A)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PXeDY3KOwg...h%2B1967%2B(B)
UFO Sightings at ICBM Sites and Nuclear Weapons Storage Areas ;
- part I -
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By Robert Hastings;
quote;
"Although the vast majority of Americans are completely unaware of its existence, the UFO/Nukes Connection is now remarkably well-documented. Air Force, FBI, and CIA files declassified via the Freedom of Information Act establish a convincing, ongoing pattern of UFO activity at U.S. nuclear weapons sites extending back to December 1948".
For more than 30 years, I have been interviewing former and retired U.S. Air Force personnel regarding their direct or indirect involvement in nuclear weapons-related UFO sighting incidents. These individuals—from retired colonels to former airmen—report extraordinary encounters which have obvious national security implications. In fact, taken to their logical conclusion, the reported incidents have planetary implications, given the horrific consequences that would result from a full-scale, global nuclear war.
At the time of their experiences, my former/retired USAF sources held positions ranging from nuclear missile launch and targeting officers, to missile maintenance personnel, to missile security police. The incidents described occurred at Malmstrom, Minot, F.E. Warren, Ellsworth, Vandenberg, and Walker AFBs, between 1963 and 1996. Other sources were stationed at Wurtsmith and Loring AFBs, where B-52 nuclear bombers were based during the Cold War era.
To date, I have interviewed over 50 individuals who were involved in various UFO-related incidents at Strategic Air Command bases or remote sites. I have selected the statements of 20 of those persons for presentation here. An expanded discussion of this material will appear in my forthcoming book, The UFO/Nukes Connection.
The testimony below is admittedly anecdotal evidence. Nevertheless, it is offered—often reluctantly—by persons who were entrusted by the U.S. government with the operation or security of weapons of mass destruction. As such, each source was subjected to, and passed, rigorous background checks and personality tests designed to ascertain, with a reasonable degree of certainty, their psychological stability and reliability.
For the moment, the international tensions of the Cold War era have receded. Consequently, the U.S. and Russia are currently downsizing their nuclear arsenals. Nevertheless, vast numbers of nukes still exist and may be unleashed at a moment’s notice. Therefore, these weapons remain a potential threat to the future of the human race.
The events described below leave little doubt that our nuclear weapons program is an ongoing source of interest to someone possessing vastly superior technology. Significantly, the reported UFO activity occasionally transcends mere surveillance and appears to involve direct and unambiguous interference with our strategic weapons systems.
Considering these and similar accounts—too numerous and credible to dismiss—I would argue, as others have before me, that the heightened presence of the UFO phenomenon since the end of World War II is a direct consequence of the advent of the Nuclear Age. To suggest that this is the only explanation for widespread UFO sightings during our own era would be presumptuous, simplistic, and undoubtedly inaccurate. Nevertheless, I believe that the nuclear weapons-related incidents are integral to an understanding of the mystery at hand.
Anyone wishing to contact me may do so at [email protected]
My Sources:
Malmstrom AFB, Montana (1966-67):
1st Lt. Robert C. Jamison—Former USAF Minuteman ICBM targeting officer (Combat Targeting Team Commander), 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Montana:
Jamison states that he assisted in the re-start of an entire "flight" of ten Minuteman ICBMs which had simultaneously and inexplicably shut down immediately after a UFO was sighted in their vicinity by Air Force Security Police. Jamison is certain that the incident occurred at one of the missile flights located near Lewistown, Montana, perhaps Oscar Flight. This event probably occurred on the night of March 24/25, 1967, based on Jamison’s portrayal of related events.
Jamison said that while his and other teams were preparing to respond to the stricken flight, they were ordered—as a precaution—to remain at Malmstrom until all UFO reports from the field had ceased. He further states that his team received a special briefing prior to being dispatched, during which it was directed to immediately report any UFO sighted while traveling to or from the missile field.
In the event that a UFO appeared at one of the missile silos during the re-start procedure, the team was directed to enter the silo's personnel hatch, and remain underground until the UFO had left the vicinity. According to Jamison, the Air Police guard accompanying the team was to remain outside and relay information about the UFO to the base Command Post. Jamison’s own team re-started three or four missiles but did not observe any unusual aerial activity.
Jamison said that while he was at the missile maintenance hangar, waiting to be dispatched to the field, he overheard two-way radio communications at the temporary Command Post, relating to another UFO having been sighted on the ground in a canyon near the town of Belt. He states he recalls hearing that a top commander—either Malmstrom’s base commander, or the 341st Strategic Missile Wing commander—was on-site with other personnel. Based on these recollections, it appears that Jamison is describing the well-documented Belt, Montana UFO sighting of March 24/25, 1967.
Jamison said that immediately after the missile shutdown incident, for a period of approximately two weeks, his team received a special UFO briefing, identical to the one described above, before being dispatched to the field.
Jamison said that approximately two weeks after the full-flight missile shutdown, his team responded to another, partial shutdown—involving four or five ICBMs. Prior to being dispatched, Jamison’s team received a report that the missile failures had occurred immediately after a UFO was sighted over the flight's Launch Control Facility. Jamison recalls that this incident took place at a flight located south or southwest of Great Falls, possibly India Flight, and during daylight hours.
Jamison said that he had subsequently spoken with several individuals, mostly missile security guards, who had witnessed various UFO-related incidents. He reports that they were “visibly shaken” by their experiences.
Comment: At least five other former or retired USAF personnel—all Minuteman missile launch officers stationed at Malmstrom AFB in 1967—have previously divulged their knowledge of UFO involvement in two separate, large-scale missile shutdown incidents. One of these individuals, former Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander Robert Salas, has extensively investigated these events, together with researcher Jim Klotz. Their revealing summary of the March 1967 incidents may be found at:
HERE;http://www.cufon.org/cufon/malmstrom/malm1.htm
The article above also discusses the Air Force’s formal denial of UFO-involvement in the one officially-acknowledged, full-flight missile shutdown incident at Malmstrom AFB—at Echo Flight—despite the missile launch officers’ testimony to the contrary. The official disavowal is found in the 341st Strategic Missile Wing’s “unit history”.
Significantly, the unit historian, David Gamble, told Klotz that while compiling material for the official history, he had learned of reports of UFO activity within Malmstrom’s missile fields. When he made inquiries, Gamble received “no cooperation” from those in-the-know. He further said that written changes regarding “the UFO aspect of the missile shutdown incident” had been made by superiors. The final version of the unit history states, “Rumors of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) around the area of Echo Flight during the time of the fault were disproven.”
Salas and Klotz have written a thorough and persuasive book, Faded Giant, which expands upon their earlier online report.
If Jamison’s recollections are correct, and he did indeed respond to a large-scale missile shutdown at Oscar Flight on the same date as the well-documented Belt UFO sighting, then the date proposed for the Oscar event by Salas and Klotz—March 16, 1967—would seem to be in error. Salas has now acknowledged this possibility, however, Klotz remains skeptical about the alternate date.
Prior to my posting the Jamison-related material on the NICAP and NCP websites, I sent it to Klotz for his review. He responded, "I think that while witnesses’ memories of ‘events’ tend to be pretty clear, memories of dates tend to be less accurate. I am a document-driven guy and I'd like to see some documentary evidence of multiple events. Lacking this, I only wish to keep open the idea that memories may be of a ‘single’ UFO-related missile shutdown event at Malmstrom. Certainly the indications from witness testimony are that multiple events may well have occurred."
For the record: I too would like to see unaltered documents relating to the shutdown events. In the early 1980s, I attempted to access, via the Freedom of Information Act, Office of Special Investigations (OSI) files relating to UFO sightings at Malmstrom’s ICBM sites, only to be told that all such documents had already been declassified.
However, multiple source testimony strongly suggests otherwise. I think David Gamble’s comments above are telling. In my opinion, the documents that might shed light on the true facts relating to the missile shutdowns will remain hidden indefinitely, whereas those supporting the official version of events, including unit histories, will sometimes be declassified.
I also sent my Jamison-related material to Bob Salas. He responded, "What is interesting to me is the briefing Jamison received about how to respond if they sighted a UFO while working in the field. This would be a further indication that there had been experiences with UFOs at [Launch Facilities] prior to Jamison going out to the sites. We have also received similar information from a source we are protecting at this time."
Salas continued, "I [now] think it is more likely that Oscar Flight went down on some date after the Echo Flight [shutdown] and that it could very well have been on the same day as the Belt sighting. One of the factors that lead me to that 'opinion' is the lack of comment about two flights going down in the [now-declassified] telex that went out, and in the unit history. If the two had gone down on the same day, that would have been mentioned.
The reason, I think, Oscar wasn't mentioned later is because by then the Air Force wanted to keep a secrecy lid on it and avoid the possibility of a leak by the indication of a growing and continuing problem. That would have made quite some headlines in the press."
Salas concluded, "Remember, from all we have heard from the maintenance people we have interviewed, the rumors and comments [about UFO activity] were rampant. I personally received a call from an NCO after the Oscar shutdowns, practically begging me to come talk to him and others about the incident. Believe me, it was all over the base and some of the troops were flat scared."
In conclusion, Jamison’s statements are important because they indicate that the Air Force was fully aware of UFO involvement in at least two missile flight shutdown incidents prior to dispatching the missile maintenance teams to restart the ICBMs. Specifically, according to Jamison, the 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron undertook certain precautions and formally implemented various procedures to protect the teams’ safety while in the field. In this respect, his testimony is unprecedented.
Staff Sgt. Louis D. Kenneweg—Former Minuteman ICBM maintenance clerk, 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Montana:
At the time of the 1967 missile shutdown incidents, Staff Sgt. Louis D. Kenneweg was assigned to the 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron (MIMS) at Malmstrom AFB. His duties at the MIMS hangar included issuing Technical Order kits (T.O.s) to other members of his squadron. As Kenneweg explained, “Each of the repair teams would be required to take T.O.’s in the truck with them.
The kit included books or manuals that would contain technical information that the technicians could look up rather than rely on memory. There was also a check list in plastic sleeves, kind of like a pre-flight checklist for a pilot, that they would use before removing the warhead from the missile. Of course there was an awful lot of supervision when that occurred.”
Although the date is uncertain, one night, around 11:45 P.M. Kenneweg was driving to work when he noticed something unusual in the sky. “As I traveled down one of the roads parallel to the flightline,” he said, “I saw something that I first thought was a private plane’s lights, blinking. As I watched it get closer, I realized that it wasn't blinking at all, but zig-zagging. First here, then there, traveling too fast for a plane.
Then looming over the flightline. I got up late, and I knew that I had little time, but I stopped anyway. I opened the car door, got out, and focused on the lights. I watched it as long as I could, without being late to work. I remember saying to myself that this pilot was going to be in a lot of trouble, coming across the runway, or at least across the Air Force Base property.
I don’t remember it traveling that close to me, but I do remember the image of it disappearing in a low southerly trajectory over the [MIMS] hangar. Of course, it was much farther away than it appeared. At that point, it wasn't ‘blinking’ anymore but had more of a glow. It appeared as a bright light the size of the moon, on a cloudy night, although I don't remember it being cloudy.”
Upon arriving at the MIMS hangar, Kenneweg was confronted by a scene of high activity. “As I entered the hangar I noticed that there were numerous trucks being loaded,” he said, “many more than I had ever seen all at the same time.”
Still puzzled about the strange, zig-zagging light, Kenneweg walked toward the Air Police office, where APs were routinely assigned to accompany the maintenance teams into the missile fields, guarding their trucks and the silos once they opened the gates. When he arrived, he noticed an unusual level of activity there as well. Kenneweg asked the Air Police sergeant on duty whether the base had any helicopters up. The sergeant replied that the helicopters didn’t have radar and didn’t fly at night.
Kenneweg continued, “Back at the office, I issued almost all of the [T.O.] kits on the shelf. I remember saying to myself, ‘I'm running out of kits, this is a busy night.’ Now, I didn’t check the sign-out sheet to see how many kits had been checked out before my shift, but while I was on duty, I did recall that they were almost all checked out. As I count them off in my head today, and try to see them on the shelf, we had a wall with 3 shelves that would hold 25 or so.”
Clearly, a lot of missiles were either undergoing routine maintenance, and/or had gone off Strategic Alert for another reason, all at the same time.
When the maintenance teams returned to the MIMS hangar—Kenneweg first thought that it had been some three hours later, but upon reflection, now believes that it was more than 24 hours later, during his next shift—one of the technicians hinted that something out of the ordinary had taken place in the missile field. “One of the guys mentioned to me that some very weird things were going on that night,” said Kenneweg, “It takes two guys to carry the T.O. kit, and there were other guys behind him, waiting in line to get checked in, and they were all nodding their heads in agreement.
But this guy said that he couldn’t talk about it right then. He said he would tell me all about it back at the barracks. Well, like I have said before, I was busy working [a second job] at the Red Lion Supper Club and didn't really have that serious sit-down conversation with that particular airman. But the barracks was buzzing. Stories about how when they got to the [missile silos] and found no damage, and how all the batteries were dead. I also heard a story that [UFOs] were seen on radar, then they were gone.”
He continued, “Our missile sites each had a tertiary power system. The main power source was delivered by Montana Power. Telephone poles, transformers and wire. The second system was the diesel generators, and the third was the battery back-up within the silo itself.
Numerous reports came back saying that they had found no damage to the fences, wires, transformers, microwave intrusion system, locks on the three-foot-thick concrete blast doors, or to the batteries. So, no evidence of damage from intruders or animals, lightning or fire. Just three sources of power vanished and the batteries were dead.”
Kenneweg believes that the incident was not isolated. “As I recall,” he said, “there were other nights where the guys would come back and look a little shaken, all within that same time-period.”
Comment: Based on Kenneweg’s description of his own UFO sighting, during which the object appeared to be near or over Malmstrom’s flightline at one point, I have speculated that the UFO may have briefly maneuvered near the base’s nuclear Weapons Storage Area (WSA), which is located just east of the main runway. The WSA contains Minuteman missile nuclear warheads, known as Re-entry Vehicles (RVs).
A review of aerial photographs of Malmstrom, which show the WSA, coupled with an analysis of Kenneweg’s probable position near the MIMS hangar, lead to this conjecture. Regardless, another UFO sighting at the WSA, some years later, has been confirmed by two other sources. See Malmstrom AFB, Montana (1975).
Airman 1st Class David Hughes—Former Air Policeman, 341st Combat Defense Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Montana:
Hughes stated, “I was stationed at Malmstrom from January 1966 through August 1967. I was an Air Policeman, assigned to ‘B’ Flight, with the 341st Combat Defense Squadron. I worked at the Foxtrot [Flight Launch Control Facility]. Many nights we observed a light in the sky between Choteau and Augusta, Montana.”
He continued “This light would move at incredible speeds, make right-angle moves, and continue for hours. When seeking further information from wing command, we were often insulted when told it was a Telstar satellite. On one occasion we were told by other friends working in the [air traffic control] tower at the base that aircraft had been launched to seek to identify a strange radar echo that had appeared on their screens and on the screens of the local airport. This was later denied the next day, but if memory serves, the local newspaper had an story on it the next day. This must have happened sometime in early 1967, or late 1966.”
Hughes concluded, “All I know is that some strange things consumed our attention many nights while on patrol. We patrolled from Augusta to Choteau each night and [frequently] saw something that lent credance to the UFO concept. To us, ‘UFO’ simply meant it was an Unidentified Flying Object, either from our military or some unknown source. We never believed the satellite story. However, when we learned that the jets had been scrambled and the next day it was denied, then we knew something was up.”
Malmstrom AFB, Montana (1975):
Staff Sgt. Joseph M. Chassey—Former Minuteman ICBM maintenance technician, 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Montana:
Chassey states that one night in the fall of 1975, he overhead a two-way radio transmission alerting Air Force Security Police about an unknown craft hovering over the base’s Weapons Storage Area.
Chassey said that the incident was widely discussed at the missile mechanical shop the following day. He later heard additional details about it from a friend, who was a helicopter re-fueler.
Apparently, two base helicopters had been scrambled to chase the intruder, which rapidly flew toward Belt, Montana, some ten miles distant. As the pursuing choppers neared the town, the unidentified craft quickly doubled-back to Malmstrom—leaving them far behind—and again hovered over the WSA for a short period of time before finally departing.
Chassey states that the object was described as an extremely bright light and was assumed to have been a bona fide UFO because of its superior capabilities. He emphasized, “It flat outran the helicopters. We heard that it zipped out to Belt and back to the base in no time.”
Chassey, who separated from the Air Force at the end of October, 1975, believes that the incident occurred shortly before he left Malmstrom.
Comment: USAF documents from October 1975, declassified via the Freedom of Information Act, confirm other UFO sightings at the Weapons Storage Areas at Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan, and Loring AFB, Maine. At the time, each base hosted B-52 nuclear bomber squadrons.
At Wurtsmith, initial sighting reports referred to the unidentified craft as a “helicopter”, however, the radar operator aboard a nearby KC-135 aircraft later tracked the craft traveling at approximately 1000 knots, far faster than any known helicopter. At Loring, some reports mentioned an “unidentified helicopter” near the WSA.
However, eyewitness accounts from a B-52 ground crew indicated that the “helicopter” was bright orange, football-shaped, and had hovered silently. (For an extended discussion of these cases, consult Lawrence Fawcett and Barry Greenwood’s authoritative book, Clear Intent, later re-named The UFO Cover-Up.)
Lt. Col. Robert Peisher (USAF Ret.)—Former Commanding Officer, Detachment #5, 37th Air Rescue Squadron helicopter unit at Malmstrom AFB, Montana:
Peisher has confirmed the accuracy of Joseph Chassey’s account regarding the incident during which an unknown craft hovered above Malmstrom’s nuclear Weapons Storage Area, one night in the fall of 1975. However, Peisher said that even though his unit’s helicopters had indeed been involved in the intercept attempt, he himself had already been transferred to another squadron when the incident occurred, and had only heard about it “much later”.
Peisher also states that he had once been briefed by local civilian law enforcement about a series of cattle mutilations, many of which had occurred near Minuteman missile sites, during the summer and fall of 1975. He states that he and Cascade County deputy sheriff Captain Keith Wolverton determined that more than 80 such mutilations had occurred within Malmstrom’s missile field boundaries, some quite near various ICBM Launch Facilities (silos).
Peisher further states that he had been informally told about multiple UFO incidents at Malmstrom’s Minuteman missile sites, including one event during which a UFO "the size of a football field" had silently flown over the Echo Launch Control Facility one night in the fall of 1975.
Comment: The following verbatim excerpts are NORAD log entries from November 1975, declassified via the Freedom of Information Act. My own comments and clarifications follow some of the entries (in parentheses):
24th NORAD Region Senior Director’s Log (Malmstrom AFB, MT):
7 Nov 75 (1035Z) Received a call from the 341st Strategic Air Command Post (SAC CP), saying that the following missile locations reported seeing a large red to orange to yellow object: M-1, L-3, LIMA, and L-6...Commander and Deputy for Operations (DO) informed.
7 Nov 75 (1203Z) SAC advised that the LCF at Harlowton, Montana, observed an object which emitted a light which illuminated the site driveway.
7 Nov 75 (1319Z) SAC advised K-1 says very bright object to their east is now southeast of them and they are looking at it with 10x50 binoculars. Object seems to have lights (several) on it, but no distinct pattern. The orange/gold object overhead also seems to have lights on it. SAC also advised female civilian reports having seen an object bearing south of her position six miles west of Lewistown.
(Note that all of these reports refer to the observation of aerial “objects”. Apparently, the Security Alert Teams could not identify them as either military or civilian aircraft.)
7 Nov 75 (1327Z) L-1 reports that the object to their northeast seems to be issuing a black object from it, tubular in shape. In all this time, surveillance has not been able to detect any sort of track except for known traffic.
(In other words, when these sightings were first reported by SATs, “surveillance”—that is, radar personnel—at Malmstrom AFB and Great Falls International Airport could not detect any unknown aerial objects near the missile sites. As we shall see, radar contact with the UFOs was finally established as the sighting reports continued to unfold.)
7 Nov 75 (1355Z) K-1 and L-1 report that as the sun rises, so do the objects they have visual.
7 Nov 75 (1429) From SAC CP: As the sun rose, the UFOs disappeared. Commander and DO notified.
8 Nov 75 (0635Z) A security camper team at K-4 reported UFO with white lights, one red light 50 yards behind white light. Personnel at K-1 seeing same object.
8 Nov 75 (0645Z) Height personnel picked up objects 10-13,000 feet. Track J330, EKLB 0649, 18 knots, 9,500 feet. Objects as many as seven, as few as two A/C.
(Height-finding radar finally confirmed that UFOs were present, varying over time between two and seven in number.)
8 Nov 75 (0753Z) J330 unknown 0753. Stationary/seven knots/12,000...two F-106...NCOC notified.
(Radar confirmed that one UFO, at an altitude of 12,000 feet, had hovered—that is, was “stationary”—before resuming flight at a leisurely 7 knots, or 9 mph. Shortly thereafter, two F-106s were scrambled to intercept it.)
8 Nov 75 (0905Z) From SAC CP: L-sites had fighters and objects; fighters did not get down to objects.
8 Nov 75 (0915Z) From SAC CP: From four different points: Observed objects and fighters; when fighters arrived in the area, the lights went out; when fighters departed, the lights came back on; To NCOC.
(As SAT personnel at four different locations watched, the UFOs played cat-and-mouse with the F-106s, extinguishing their illumination as the jets approached their position and re-illuminating themselves after the fighters returned to base. The NORAD Combat Operations Center—NCOC—in Colorado Springs, was immediately informed of this incident.)
8 Nov 75 (1105Z) From SAC CP: L-5 reported object increased in speed — high velocity, raised in altitude and now cannot tell the object from stars. To NCOC.
9 Nov 75 (0305Z) SAC CP called and advised SAC crews at Sites L-1, L-6, and M-1 observing UFO. Object yellowish bright round light 20 miles north of Harlowton, 2 to 4,000 feet.
9 Nov 75 (0320Z) SAC CP reports UFO southeast of Lewistown, orange white disc object. 24th NORAD Region surveillance checking area. Surveillance unable to get height check.
(Note the reference to the UFO having a “disc” or saucer shape. Several more log entries from November 9th and 10th confirm that UFOs continued to be reported by SAT teams positioned near various missile silos.)
END OF LOG ENTRIES;
Malmstrom AFB, Montana (1966-67);one;
Malmstrom AFB, Montana (1966-67):
1st Lt. Robert C. Jamison—Former USAF Minuteman ICBM targeting officer (Combat Targeting Team Commander), 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Montana:
Jamison states that he assisted in the re-start of an entire "flight" of ten Minuteman ICBMs which had simultaneously and inexplicably shut down immediately after a UFO was sighted in their vicinity by Air Force Security Police. Jamison is certain that the incident occurred at one of the missile flights located near Lewistown, Montana, perhaps Oscar Flight. This event probably occurred on the night of March 24/25, 1967, based on Jamison’s portrayal of related events.
Jamison said that while his and other teams were preparing to respond to the stricken flight, they were ordered—as a precaution—to remain at Malmstrom until all UFO reports from the field had ceased. He further states that his team received a special briefing prior to being dispatched, during which it was directed to immediately report any UFO sighted while traveling to or from the missile field.
In the event that a UFO appeared at one of the missile silos during the re-start procedure, the team was directed to enter the silo's personnel hatch, and remain underground until the UFO had left the vicinity. According to Jamison, the Air Police guard accompanying the team was to remain outside and relay information about the UFO to the base Command Post. Jamison’s own team re-started three or four missiles but did not observe any unusual aerial activity.
Jamison said that while he was at the missile maintenance hangar, waiting to be dispatched to the field, he overheard two-way radio communications at the temporary Command Post, relating to another UFO having been sighted on the ground in a canyon near the town of Belt. He states he recalls hearing that a top commander—either Malmstrom’s base commander, or the 341st Strategic Missile Wing commander—was on-site with other personnel. Based on these recollections, it appears that Jamison is describing the well-documented Belt, Montana UFO sighting of March 24/25, 1967.
Jamison said that immediately after the missile shutdown incident, for a period of approximately two weeks, his team received a special UFO briefing, identical to the one described above, before being dispatched to the field.
Jamison said that approximately two weeks after the full-flight missile shutdown, his team responded to another, partial shutdown—involving four or five ICBMs. Prior to being dispatched, Jamison’s team received a report that the missile failures had occurred immediately after a UFO was sighted over the flight's Launch Control Facility. Jamison recalls that this incident took place at a flight located south or southwest of Great Falls, possibly India Flight, and during daylight hours.
Jamison said that he had subsequently spoken with several individuals, mostly missile security guards, who had witnessed various UFO-related incidents. He reports that they were “visibly shaken” by their experiences.
Comment: At least five other former or retired USAF personnel—all Minuteman missile launch officers stationed at Malmstrom AFB in 1967—have previously divulged their knowledge of UFO involvement in two separate, large-scale missile shutdown incidents. One of these individuals, former Deputy Missile Combat Crew Commander Robert Salas, has extensively investigated these events, together with researcher Jim Klotz. Their revealing summary of the March 1967 incidents may be found at:
http://www.cufon.org/cufon/malmstrom/malm1.htm
The article above also discusses the Air Force’s formal denial of UFO-involvement in the one officially-acknowledged, full-flight missile shutdown incident at Malmstrom AFB—at Echo Flight—despite the missile launch officers’ testimony to the contrary. The official disavowal is found in the 341st Strategic Missile Wing’s “unit history”.
Significantly, the unit historian, David Gamble, told Klotz that while compiling material for the official history, he had learned of reports of UFO activity within Malmstrom’s missile fields. When he made inquiries, Gamble received “no cooperation” from those in-the-know. He further said that written changes regarding “the UFO aspect of the missile shutdown incident” had been made by superiors. The final version of the unit history states, “Rumors of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) around the area of Echo Flight during the time of the fault were disproven.”
Salas and Klotz have written a thorough and persuasive book, Faded Giant, which expands upon their earlier online report.
If Jamison’s recollections are correct, and he did indeed respond to a large-scale missile shutdown at Oscar Flight on the same date as the well-documented Belt UFO sighting, then the date proposed for the Oscar event by Salas and Klotz—March 16, 1967—would seem to be in error. Salas has now acknowledged this possibility, however, Klotz remains skeptical about the alternate date.
Prior to my posting the Jamison-related material on the NICAP and NCP websites, I sent it to Klotz for his review. He responded, "I think that while witnesses’ memories of ‘events’ tend to be pretty clear, memories of dates tend to be less accurate. I am a document-driven guy and I'd like to see some documentary evidence of multiple events. Lacking this, I only wish to keep open the idea that memories may be of a ‘single’ UFO-related missile shutdown event at Malmstrom. Certainly the indications from witness testimony are that multiple events may well have occurred."
For the record: I too would like to see unaltered documents relating to the shutdown events. In the early 1980s, I attempted to access, via the Freedom of Information Act, Office of Special Investigations (OSI) files relating to UFO sightings at Malmstrom’s ICBM sites, only to be told that all such documents had already been declassified. However, multiple source testimony strongly suggests otherwise. I think David Gamble’s comments above are telling. In my opinion, the documents that might shed light on the true facts relating to the missile shutdowns will remain hidden indefinitely, whereas those supporting the official version of events, including unit histories, will sometimes be declassified.
I also sent my Jamison-related material to Bob Salas. He responded, "What is interesting to me is the briefing Jamison received about how to respond if they sighted a UFO while working in the field. This would be a further indication that there had been experiences with UFOs at [Launch Facilities] prior to Jamison going out to the sites. We have also received similar information from a source we are protecting at this time."
Salas continued, "I [now] think it is more likely that Oscar Flight went down on some date after the Echo Flight [shutdown] and that it could very well have been on the same day as the Belt sighting. One of the factors that lead me to that 'opinion' is the lack of comment about two flights going down in the [now-declassified] telex that went out, and in the unit history. If the two had gone down on the same day, that would have been mentioned.
The reason, I think, Oscar wasn't mentioned later is because by then the Air Force wanted to keep a secrecy lid on it and avoid the possibility of a leak by the indication of a growing and continuing problem. That would have made quite some headlines in the press."
Salas concluded, "Remember, from all we have heard from the maintenance people we have interviewed, the rumors and comments [about UFO activity] were rampant. I personally received a call from an NCO after the Oscar shutdowns, practically begging me to come talk to him and others about the incident. Believe me, it was all over the base and some of the troops were flat scared."
In conclusion, Jamison’s statements are important because they indicate that the Air Force was fully aware of UFO involvement in at least two missile flight shutdown incidents prior to dispatching the missile maintenance teams to restart the ICBMs. Specifically, according to Jamison, the 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron undertook certain precautions and formally implemented various procedures to protect the teams’ safety while in the field. In this respect, his testimony is unprecedented.
Staff Sgt. Louis D. Kenneweg—Former Minuteman ICBM maintenance clerk, 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Montana:
At the time of the 1967 missile shutdown incidents, Staff Sgt. Louis D. Kenneweg was assigned to the 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron (MIMS) at Malmstrom AFB. His duties at the MIMS hangar included issuing Technical Order kits (T.O.s) to other members of his squadron. As Kenneweg explained, “Each of the repair teams would be required to take T.O.’s in the truck with them. The kit included books or manuals that would contain technical information that the technicians could look up rather than rely on memory. There was also a check list in plastic sleeves, kind of like a pre-flight checklist for a pilot, that they would use before removing the warhead from the missile. Of course there was an awful lot of supervision when that occurred.”
Although the date is uncertain, one night, around 11:45 P.M. Kenneweg was driving to work when he noticed something unusual in the sky. “As I traveled down one of the roads parallel to the flightline,” he said, “I saw something that I first thought was a private plane’s lights, blinking. As I watched it get closer, I realized that it wasn't blinking at all, but zig-zagging. First here, then there, traveling too fast for a plane. Then looming over the flightline. I got up late, and I knew that I had little time, but I stopped anyway. I opened the car door, got out, and focused on the lights. I watched it as long as I could, without being late to work. I remember saying to myself that this pilot was going to be in a lot of trouble, coming across the runway, or at least across the Air Force Base property.
I don’t remember it traveling that close to me, but I do remember the image of it disappearing in a low southerly trajectory over the [MIMS] hangar. Of course, it was much farther away than it appeared. At that point, it wasn't ‘blinking’ anymore but had more of a glow. It appeared as a bright light the size of the moon, on a cloudy night, although I don't remember it being cloudy.”
Upon arriving at the MIMS hangar, Kenneweg was confronted by a scene of high activity. “As I entered the hangar I noticed that there were numerous trucks being loaded,” he said, “many more than I had ever seen all at the same time.”
Still puzzled about the strange, zig-zagging light, Kenneweg walked toward the Air Police office, where APs were routinely assigned to accompany the maintenance teams into the missile fields, guarding their trucks and the silos once they opened the gates. When he arrived, he noticed an unusual level of activity there as well. Kenneweg asked the Air Police sergeant on duty whether the base had any helicopters up. The sergeant replied that the helicopters didn’t have radar and didn’t fly at night.
Kenneweg continued, “Back at the office, I issued almost all of the [T.O.] kits on the shelf. I remember saying to myself, ‘I'm running out of kits, this is a busy night.’ Now, I didn’t check the sign-out sheet to see how many kits had been checked out before my shift, but while I was on duty, I did recall that they were almost all checked out. As I count them off in my head today, and try to see them on the shelf, we had a wall with 3 shelves that would hold 25 or so.”
Clearly, a lot of missiles were either undergoing routine maintenance, and/or had gone off Strategic Alert for another reason, all at the same time.
When the maintenance teams returned to the MIMS hangar—Kenneweg first thought that it had been some three hours later, but upon reflection, now believes that it was more than 24 hours later, during his next shift—one of the technicians hinted that something out of the ordinary had taken place in the missile field. “One of the guys mentioned to me that some very weird things were going on that night,” said Kenneweg,
“It takes two guys to carry the T.O. kit, and there were other guys behind him, waiting in line to get checked in, and they were all nodding their heads in agreement. But this guy said that he couldn’t talk about it right then. He said he would tell me all about it back at the barracks. Well, like I have said before, I was busy working [a second job] at the Red Lion Supper Club and didn't really have that serious sit-down conversation with that particular airman. But the barracks was buzzing. Stories about how when they got to the [missile silos] and found no damage, and how all the batteries were dead. I also heard a story that [UFOs] were seen on radar, then they were gone.”
He continued, “Our missile sites each had a tertiary power system. The main power source was delivered by Montana Power. Telephone poles, transformers and wire. The second system was the diesel generators, and the third was the battery back-up within the silo itself. Numerous reports came back saying that they had found no damage to the fences, wires, transformers, microwave intrusion system, locks on the three-foot-thick concrete blast doors, or to the batteries. So, no evidence of damage from intruders or animals, lightning or fire. Just three sources of power vanished and the batteries were dead.”
Kenneweg believes that the incident was not isolated. “As I recall,” he said, “there were other nights where the guys would come back and look a little shaken, all within that same time-period.”
Comment: Based on Kenneweg’s description of his own UFO sighting, during which the object appeared to be near or over Malmstrom’s flightline at one point, I have speculated that the UFO may have briefly maneuvered near the base’s nuclear Weapons Storage Area (WSA), which is located just east of the main runway. The WSA contains Minuteman missile nuclear warheads, known as Re-entry Vehicles (RVs). A review of aerial photographs of Malmstrom, which show the WSA, coupled with an analysis of Kenneweg’s probable position near the MIMS hangar, lead to this conjecture. Regardless, another UFO sighting at the WSA, some years later, has been confirmed by two other sources. See Malmstrom AFB, Montana (1975).
Airman 1st Class David Hughes—Former Air Policeman, 341st Combat Defense Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Montana:
Hughes stated, “I was stationed at Malmstrom from January 1966 through August 1967. I was an Air Policeman, assigned to ‘B’ Flight, with the 341st Combat Defense Squadron. I worked at the Foxtrot [Flight Launch Control Facility]. Many nights we observed a light in the sky between Choteau and Augusta, Montana.”
He continued “This light would move at incredible speeds, make right-angle moves, and continue for hours. When seeking further information from wing command, we were often insulted when told it was a Telstar satellite. On one occasion we were told by other friends working in the [air traffic control] tower at the base that aircraft had been launched to seek to identify a strange radar echo that had appeared on their screens and on the screens of the local airport. This was later denied the next day, but if memory serves, the local newspaper had an story on it the next day. This must have happened sometime in early 1967, or late 1966.”
Hughes concluded, “All I know is that some strange things consumed our attention many nights while on patrol. We patrolled from Augusta to Choteau each night and [frequently] saw something that lent credance to the UFO concept. To us, ‘UFO’ simply meant it was an Unidentified Flying Object, either from our military or some unknown source. We never believed the satellite story. However, when we learned that the jets had been scrambled and the next day it was denied, then we knew something was up.”
Malmstrom AFB, Montana (1975):
Staff Sgt. Joseph M. Chassey—Former Minuteman ICBM maintenance technician, 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Montana:
Chassey states that one night in the fall of 1975, he overhead a two-way radio transmission alerting Air Force Security Police about an unknown craft hovering over the base’s Weapons Storage Area.
Chassey said that the incident was widely discussed at the missile mechanical shop the following day. He later heard additional details about it from a friend, who was a helicopter re-fueler.
Apparently, two base helicopters had been scrambled to chase the intruder, which rapidly flew toward Belt, Montana, some ten miles distant. As the pursuing choppers neared the town, the unidentified craft quickly doubled-back to Malmstrom—leaving them far behind—and again hovered over the WSA for a short period of time before finally departing.
Chassey states that the object was described as an extremely bright light and was assumed to have been a bona fide UFO because of its superior capabilities. He emphasized, “It flat outran the helicopters. We heard that it zipped out to Belt and back to the base in no time.”
Chassey, who separated from the Air Force at the end of October, 1975, believes that the incident occurred shortly before he left Malmstrom.
Comment: USAF documents from October 1975, declassified via the Freedom of Information Act, confirm other UFO sightings at the Weapons Storage Areas at Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan, and Loring AFB, Maine. At the time, each base hosted B-52 nuclear bomber squadrons. At Wurtsmith, initial sighting reports referred to the unidentified craft as a “helicopter”, however, the radar operator aboard a nearby KC-135 aircraft later tracked the craft traveling at approximately 1000 knots, far faster than any known helicopter. At Loring, some reports mentioned an “unidentified helicopter” near the WSA.
However, eyewitness accounts from a B-52 ground crew indicated that the “helicopter” was bright orange, football-shaped, and had hovered silently. (For an extended discussion of these cases, consult Lawrence Fawcett and Barry Greenwood’s authoritative book, Clear Intent, later re-named The UFO Cover-Up.)
Lt. Col. Robert Peisher (USAF Ret.)—Former Commanding Officer, Detachment #5, 37th Air Rescue Squadron helicopter unit at Malmstrom AFB, Montana:
Peisher has confirmed the accuracy of Joseph Chassey’s account regarding the incident during which an unknown craft hovered above Malmstrom’s nuclear Weapons Storage Area, one night in the fall of 1975. However, Peisher said that even though his unit’s helicopters had indeed been involved in the intercept attempt, he himself had already been transferred to another squadron when the incident occurred, and had only heard about it “much later”.
Peisher also states that he had once been briefed by local civilian law enforcement about a series of cattle mutilations, many of which had occurred near Minuteman missile sites, during the summer and fall of 1975. He states that he and Cascade County deputy sheriff Captain Keith Wolverton determined that more than 80 such mutilations had occurred within Malmstrom’s missile field boundaries, some quite near various ICBM Launch Facilities (silos).
Peisher further states that he had been informally told about multiple UFO incidents at Malmstrom’s Minuteman missile sites, including one event during which a UFO "the size of a football field" had silently flown over the Echo Launch Control Facility one night in the fall of 1975.
Comment: The following verbatim excerpts are NORAD log entries from November 1975, declassified via the Freedom of Information Act. My own comments and clarifications follow some of the entries (in parentheses):
24th NORAD Region Senior Director’s Log (Malmstrom AFB, MT):
7 Nov 75 (1035Z) Received a call from the 341st Strategic Air Command Post (SAC CP), saying that the following missile locations reported seeing a large red to orange to yellow object: M-1, L-3, LIMA, and L-6...Commander and Deputy for Operations (DO) informed.
7 Nov 75 (1203Z) SAC advised that the LCF at Harlowton, Montana, observed an object which emitted a light which illuminated the site driveway.
7 Nov 75 (1319Z) SAC advised K-1 says very bright object to their east is now southeast of them and they are looking at it with 10x50 binoculars. Object seems to have lights (several) on it, but no distinct pattern. The orange/gold object overhead also seems to have lights on it. SAC also advised female civilian reports having seen an object bearing south of her position six miles west of Lewistown.
(Note that all of these reports refer to the observation of aerial “objects”. Apparently, the Security Alert Teams could not identify them as either military or civilian aircraft.)
7 Nov 75 (1327Z) L-1 reports that the object to their northeast seems to be issuing a black object from it, tubular in shape. In all this time, surveillance has not been able to detect any sort of track except for known traffic.
(In other words, when these sightings were first reported by SATs, “surveillance”—that is, radar personnel—at Malmstrom AFB and Great Falls International Airport could not detect any unknown aerial objects near the missile sites. As we shall see, radar contact with the UFOs was finally established as the sighting reports continued to unfold.)
7 Nov 75 (1355Z) K-1 and L-1 report that as the sun rises, so do the objects they have visual.
7 Nov 75 (1429) From SAC CP: As the sun rose, the UFOs disappeared. Commander and DO notified.
8 Nov 75 (0635Z) A security camper team at K-4 reported UFO with white lights, one red light 50 yards behind white light. Personnel at K-1 seeing same object.
8 Nov 75 (0645Z) Height personnel picked up objects 10-13,000 feet. Track J330, EKLB 0649, 18 knots, 9,500 feet. Objects as many as seven, as few as two A/C.
(Height-finding radar finally confirmed that UFOs were present, varying over time between two and seven in number.)
8 Nov 75 (0753Z) J330 unknown 0753. Stationary/seven knots/12,000...two F-106...NCOC notified.
(Radar confirmed that one UFO, at an altitude of 12,000 feet, had hovered—that is, was “stationary”—before resuming flight at a leisurely 7 knots, or 9 mph. Shortly thereafter, two F-106s were scrambled to intercept it.)
8 Nov 75 (0905Z) From SAC CP: L-sites had fighters and objects; fighters did not get down to objects.
8 Nov 75 (0915Z) From SAC CP: From four different points: Observed objects and fighters; when fighters arrived in the area, the lights went out; when fighters departed, the lights came back on; To NCOC.
(As SAT personnel at four different locations watched, the UFOs played cat-and-mouse with the F-106s, extinguishing their illumination as the jets approached their position and re-illuminating themselves after the fighters returned to base. The NORAD Combat Operations Center—NCOC—in Colorado Springs, was immediately informed of this incident.)
8 Nov 75 (1105Z) From SAC CP: L-5 reported object increased in speed — high velocity, raised in altitude and now cannot tell the object from stars. To NCOC.
9 Nov 75 (0305Z) SAC CP called and advised SAC crews at Sites L-1, L-6, and M-1 observing UFO. Object yellowish bright round light 20 miles north of Harlowton, 2 to 4,000 feet.
9 Nov 75 (0320Z) SAC CP reports UFO southeast of Lewistown, orange white disc object. 24th NORAD Region surveillance checking area. Surveillance unable to get height check.
(Note the reference to the UFO having a “disc” or saucer shape. Several more log entries from November 9th and 10th confirm that UFOs continued to be reported by SAT teams positioned near various missile silos.)
END OF LOG ENTRIES;
Malmstrom AFB, Montana (1992):
Staff Sgt. Joseph M. Brown—Former Security Policeman, 343rd Missile Security Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Montana:
Comment: I first learned of Joe Brown’s experience after he posted a brief summary of it on researcher Ron Wright’s Triad Research website. With Wright’s assistance, I located Brown and interviewed him.
Brown states that one night in the spring of 1992, he and his security team partner were posted at Alpha Flight missile silo A-3. Due to an alarm system malfunction at the site, the two-man team was staked-out in a security camper near the launch facility, with one man on duty while the other slept. “I believe it was March or April,” Brown told me, “site top-side security was down—the IMPSS (Improved Minuteman Physical Security System)—and if I remember correctly, there was no top-side power.”
At about 4:30 a.m., Brown noticed a bright white light moving erratically across the sky. In his online posting, Brown had written, “This light was doing some wild things in the sky, sudden direction changes, moving very fast, then stopping, then shooting off in another direction. I watched this for about 15 to 20 minutes.”
Then the light appeared to move closer to the silo. “I started getting spooked,” Brown wrote, “so I reached out the window of the truck and started banging on the camper shell to wake [my partner] up. He finally came around the front, asking me what was wrong. I pointed to the light and told him I'd been watching it for around 20 minutes and I didn't know what it was. He got into the passenger side of the truck and we kept watching this thing doing its acrobatics.”
Brown decided to radio another security team posted at Alpha Flight silo A-10, located some 10 miles away. “They responded hesitantly that they were watching this light,” he wrote. The Flight Security Controller (FSC) at the Alpha Flight Launch Control Facility apparently overheard this exchange, because he suddenly broke into the conversation to inquire about the anxious radio chatter between the two security teams. Each confirmed that they were observing the strange light as it raced wildly around the sky.
Brown wrote that the team continued to watch the UFO until around 6:30 to 7:00 a.m., when it suddenly appeared to go straight up and hover. “We could still see the light, but by now it was starting to get daylight. As it got brighter, we could sort of make out a black shape around where the light was. We had binoculars, but even with them, all you could see was a fuzzy outline of sort of a triangle. I can't estimate the height of the object.”
Upon returning to Malmstrom, Brown and his partner privately conferred with the security team posted at Alpha Flight silo A-10. The four guards agreed that they would not mention the sighting, and all expressed concern about possible repercussions resulting from their report to the Flight Security Controller.
As the security guards returned their weapons to the armory, they were suddenly ordered to report to a captain assigned to their squadron. Brown can not recall the officer’s name but remembers being very concerned by this unexpected development. The captain asked the men to describe what they had seen. He listened carefully and then pointedly suggested that they not discuss the sighting. Brown told me, “At this point, the captain says, well I don't think you saw anything and I wouldn't go around talking about it. You guys are under PRP, remember that!”
Comment: Here is an apparent instance in which the mere mention of the PRP—Personnel Reliability Program—effectively intimidated military UFO witnesses into silence. This Department of Defense directive pertains to those who work with or around nuclear weapons, and dictates their conduct both on and off the job. If an individual’s commanding officer judges his or her behavior to be unreliable, and a potential threat to the security of the weapons, a psychological examination of that person is usually ordered. Depending on its outcome, the individual under scrutiny risks being relieved of duty.
Brown stated that a couple of days after his experience at Alpha Flight, he heard that there had been some unusual activity at Malmstrom that same night. Referring to these rumored developments, he told me, “[A friend of mine] was a Tech Sergeant in the [missile] maintenance squadron, and it was a bit unusual for him to actually go to out in the field. He normally trouble-shot stuff on-base. He and I never got to really discuss what had happened...[but] he did tell me that a lot of maintenance folks were sent out that night. Quite honestly, a lot of us were afraid to talk about it openly, especially after being told we should not talk about anything by our Captain.”
Malmstrom AFB, Montana (1995):
UFO sighting by a Minuteman missile maintenance technician, who requests anonymity, as reported to Tech. Sgt. Jeff Goodrich (USAF Ret.)—Former Team Chief of Missile Handling, 341st Maintenance Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Montana:
In the early hours of January 20, 1995, an Alert Response Team, composed of two security police, had been driving to the India Flight Launch Control Facility when they noticed a strange light in the southern sky. As they passed by Minuteman silo I-4, one of the men radioed a missile maintenance team working there, and asked its leader whether he could see the light too. The response was affirmative.
The missile maintenance technician who later reported the sighting to Goodrich said that the light was “large”, and displayed numerous smaller lights—red, orange, yellow, green, and blue in color—across its surface. The UFO had been moving very slowly across the missile field, at low altitude. The technician insisted that the object was not an airplane or helicopter. Because he was a member of the missile maintenance team, and not a security policeman, he did not know whether the Alert Response Team had subsequently reported the UFO to the Flight Security Controller at the India Flight Launch Control Facility.
Comment: This UFO was not the first to be reported in Montana during January 1995. A brief entry in the sighting database published by the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) indicates that on the evening of January 5th, an unnamed Air Force officer at Malmstrom AFB had called NUFORC to relay a sighting report which he had just received from someone in the town of Shelby. At about 9 p.m. the unidentified person had observed two objects moving silently through the sky for about two minutes.
Although their shape could not be determined, the absence of any sound had apparently struck the sighting witness as unusual, and so a call was made to Malmstrom. Shelby is located almost exactly on the northern boundary of the Quebec Flight Minuteman missile field—with silo Q-18 situated less than two miles east of town, just north of Route 2.
Another entry in the NUFORC database indicates that two days later, on January 7th, at about 3 p.m., an unidentified woman had called Malmstrom AFB regarding a UFO sighting. Unfortunately, the location of the sighting is not specified in the entry.
A third call to NUFORC occurred on January 18th—just two days prior to the incident at India Flight reported to Tech. Sgt. Jeff Goodrich. The reporting center’s log states, “An anonymous caller reports multiple UFO sightings reported between Fairfield and Deer Lodge, Montana. Background noise during call sounds like communications noise from some kind of operations center.”
The caller told NUFORC that he had received multiple UFO sighting reports, over the period of an hour, from persons located between Fairfield and Deer Lodge. Perhaps significantly, Fairfield lies near the geographic center of the Hotel Flight Minuteman missile field, with silo H-9 situated at the western edge of town, just north of Route 408. Furthermore, if one leaves Fairfield and travels southwest—in a straight line toward Deer Lodge—one will eventually exit the Hotel field and cross directly into the Golf Flight missile field.
In short, nearly half of the countryside between Fairfield and Deer Lodge lies within the boundaries of Malmstrom’s Minuteman missile fields. Although no evidence has yet surfaced which would place the reported UFOs in close proximity to specific silos within either Hotel or Golf Flight, the caller from Deer Lodge was nevertheless relaying sighting reports made by persons calling from the heart of “Rocket Ranch” country. The three sighting reports published by NUFORC may be found at http://www.nuforc.org/webreports/ndxlMT.html.
Malmstrom AFB, Montana (1996):
Tech. Sgt. Jeff Goodrich (USAF Ret.)—Former Team Chief of Missile Handling, 341st Maintenance Squadron, Malmstrom AFB, Montana:
Goodrich states that February 2, 1996, he and an officer, whom I will not identify here, observed a loose formation of five triangular-shaped objects flying above Great Falls, Montana, which is located just west of Malmstrom. At the time of the sighting, both had been working at the Missile Roll Transfer Building, a remote site located some miles from the main base.
When first sighted, the objects were about 75-degrees above the horizon. They made no sound that the two men could discern, and left no contrails. Due to distance and glare, no surface detail was visible on any of the craft. Goodrich noted that the objects flew in unison, moving slowly from north to south. On two occasions, all five appeared motionless for 10-15 seconds. After the second hover, the objects suddenly accelerated, made a sweeping arc to the southwest, and soon disappeared over the horizon.
Goodrich estimated the objects’ altitude to be 15-20,000 feet. This guess was based, in part, on statements made to him by personnel working at Malmstrom’s air traffic control tower. After contacting them, he had been told that nothing out of the ordinary had been detected on radar at the time of the sighting—but was also told that the tower didn’t track aircraft above 10,000 feet. Immediately after contacting the base’s air traffic control tower, Goodrich called Great Falls International Airport. The controllers there also denied tracking unknown aircraft at the time of his sighting.
Given that Goodrich reported the UFOs’ shape to be triangular, some skeptics might say that he and the officer had merely observed a flight of F-117A “stealth” fighter-bombers. Due to its unique design, an airborne F-117A can appear, from certain angles, to be nearly triangular. Moreover, the aircraft’s stealth capability would explain why the flight had not been tracked on radar.
However, because Goodrich is certain that he and the officer had twice observed all five objects briefly hovering, this prosaic proposal would seem an unlikely solution. The F-117A is an amazing aircraft, but it can not remain motionless in the air. Furthermore, Goodrich described the UFOs as being bright white in color and occasionally exhibiting glare as their position varied in relation to the sun. An F-117A is painted flat black and appears dark against the sky, under all lighting and atmospheric conditions.
Jeff included two hand-drawn diagrams of the objects in his report about the sighting. The first one depicts their positions relative to one another in the sky. The second illustrates each object’s shape—an isosceles triangle—with two sides of equal length. The third, shorter side was on the trailing edge of each object as it flew.
I asked Goodrich if he could determine whether the UFOs had flown or hovered over ICBM facilities at any time during the sighting. He replied that after the objects turned southwest, and left the city limits, they would have briefly passed over the India Flight missile field. However, he said that it did not appear that they had lingered in that vicinity. Instead, they continued to move steadily away, and eventually faded from view.
(It should also be noted that when the objects approached Great Falls, they had to have flown over other missile fields located north of the city, however, I am not aware of any information currently available in the public domain to suggest a close-proximity incident at any ICBM LCF or LF, relating to the sighting.)
F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming (1965):
Comment: Beginning at 1:30 A.M. on August 1, 1965, various personnel at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming—including the base commander—telephoned the Air Force’s UFO Project Blue Book, at Wright-Patterson AFB, to report several UFO sightings at Warren’s Minuteman missile sites.
The officer who fielded and logged the telephone calls to Blue Book that night was a Lt. Anspaugh. A memorandum summarizing these telephone calls was published in 1972 by Dr. J. Allen Hynek, the civilian scientific consultant to the project, in his book The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry.
Inserted below are the verbatim entries in Lt. Anspaugh’s memo:
1:30 A.M. - Captain Snelling, of the U.S. Air Force command post near Cheyenne, Wyoming, called to say that 15 to 20 phone calls had been received at the local radio station about a large circular object emitting several colors but no sound, sighted over the city. Two officers and one airman controller at the base reported that after being sighted directly over base operations, the object had begun to move rapidly to the northeast.
2:20 A.M. - Colonel Johnson, base commander of Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, near Cheyenne, Wyoming, called Dayton to say that the commanding officer of the Sioux Army Depot saw five objects at 1:45 A.M. and reported an alleged configuration of two UFOs previously reported over E Site. At 1:49 A.M. members of E flight reportedly saw what appeared to be the same [formation] reported at 1:48 A.M. by G flight. Two security teams were dispatched from E flight to investigate.
2:50 A.M. - Nine more UFOs were sighted, and at 3:35 A.M. Colonel Williams, commanding officer of the Sioux Army Depot, at Sydney, Nebraska, reported five UFOs going east.
4:05 A.M. - Colonel Johnson made another phone call to Dayton to say that at 4:00 A.M., Q flight reported nine UFOs in sight; four to the northwest, three to the northeast, and two over Cheyenne.
4:40 A.M. - Captain Howell, Air Force Command Post, called Dayton and Defense Intelligence Agency to report that a Strategic Air Command Team at Site H-2 at 3:00 A.M. reported a white oval UFO directly overhead. Later Strategic Air Command Post passed the following: Francis E. Warren Air Force Base reports (Site B-4 3:17 A.M.) –A UFO 90 miles east of Cheyenne at a high rate of speed and descending—oval and white with white lines on its sides and a flashing red light in its center moving east; reported to have landed 10 miles east of the site.
3:20 A.M. - Seven UFOs reported east of the site.
3:25 A.M. - E Site reported six UFOs stacked vertically.
3:27 A.M. - G-1 reported one ascending and at the same time, E-2 reported two additional UFOs had joined the seven for a total of nine.
3:28 A.M. - G-1 reported a UFO descending further, going east.
3:32 A.M. - The same site has a UFO climbing and leveling off.
3:40 A.M. - G Site reported one UFO at 70' azimuth and one at 120' . Three now came from the east, stacked vertically, passed through the other two, with all five heading west.
END OF SUMMARY;
Airman 2nd Class Robert R. Thompson—Former Air Policeman, 809th Combat Defense Squadron, at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming:
Thompson states that he was on duty at the Quebec Flight Launch Control Facility one night in 1965, when he got a telephone call from the underground launch capsule. The Missile Combat Crew Commander asked Thompson and his partner to walk outside and look straight up. Thinking this was a joke of some kind, the two Air Policemen nevertheless complied. Directly overhead, Thompson saw eight stationary lights, much brighter and larger than stars, grouped together in four pairs. Due to their altitude and brilliance, it was not possible to determine the objects’ shape or other details.
Thompson said that one light eventually left its position and began to roam among the others, moving slowly from pair to pair. He and his partner watched the mysterious aerial formation for about 10 minutes, before reporting the sighting to the missile commander. In response, Thompson was informed that NORAD, located at Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, had earlier notified FE Warren that its radars were tracking eight unknown objects hovering in the vicinity of the Quebec launch control site. Apparently, Warren’s Command Center had called the LCF and asked the missile commander to verify their presence.
Said Thompson, “I wasn’t sure what we were seeing until I reported back to the launch commander. When he told me of the report of UFOs from Cheyenne Mountain, I could tell by his voice that he wasn’t joking.” Thompson states that he and his partner were never debriefed, or warned to remain silent about the incident, but he never again mentioned it to the missile commander.
Perhaps significantly, the Blue Book memorandum inserted above may lend credence to Thompson’s report. Specifically, this entry:
4:05 A.M. - Colonel Johnson made another phone call to Dayton to say that at 4:00 A.M., Q flight reported nine UFOs in sight; four to the northwest, three to the northeast, and two over Cheyenne.
However, because Thompson can not remember the date of his own sighting at “Q” or Quebec Flight, it may or may not have been the same incident noted above.
In any event, Thompson’s sighting was not the last UFO incident to be reported at Quebec Flight during that period. Less than a week later, he had been approached by another individual in his unit, and told about a far more dramatic incident.
“We worked three days on, three days off,” Thompson said, “One crew would relieve the other. Shortly after the sighting, when my crew returned to the LCF, an acquaintance came up and told me that while we were off-duty, he had been involved in another UFO sighting, at one of Q-Flight's Launch Facilities.”
According to this individual, he and his partner had been on stake-out duty one night, and were sitting in a Security Alert Team (SAT) camper that was parked next to the missile silo. Without warning, the vehicle began to shake violently. He quickly leaned his head out the window and saw a large, very bright light silently hovering directly above the camper. After a few seconds, the shaking ceased and the light rapidly departed.
link; http://www.nicap.org/babylon/missile_incidents.htm