MAPPING, CHARTING AND RECONNAISSANCE RESEARCH LABORATORY
FINAL REPORT
PROJECT 364
PREPARED BY DR. J. ALLEN HYNEK
ASSISTED BY HARRIET R. SUMMERSON
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION
PROJECT NO. 364
for
U. S. AIR FORCE AIR MATERIEL COMMAND
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, DAYTON, OHIO
Contract No. W33-038-1118
Columbus, Ohio
April 30, 1949
REPORT ON UNIDENTIFIED
AERIAL AND CELESTIAL OBJECTS
INTRODUCTION
Perhaps the most bizarre post-war phenomenon was the sudden barrage of reports, in the summer of 1947,
describing unidentified objects in the sky. The incident which evidently triggered the volley was the nowfamous account by Kenneth Arnold, in which he claimed to have seen "nine peculiar-looking aircraft" without
tails, which flew in a chain-like line and "swerved in and out of the high mountain peaks." The handling of this
incident by the press led to the unfortunate but descriptive term "flying saucer," which caught the public
imagination. From that time on, there has been a fairly steady stream of similar reports, including some of
"flying saucers" seen prior to the Arnold incident, which presumably otherwise would have gone unreported. (It
is pertinent, therefore, to speculate whether any of the incidents would have been reported if Mr. Arnold had
not made his observation.) Possibly, of course, we deal here with an excellent example of mass hysteria. In the
interests of the defense of the country, however, it would be highly inadvisable to ignore the accounts, even
thought the chance be [sic] remote that they contain anything inimical to the nation's welfare. To this end, the
present investigator, as an astronomer, was asked to review the data, to eliminate the patently astronomical
incidents and to indicate which others might have such an explanation.
GENERAL PROCEDURE
The method of the investigation was to examine a number of individual reports of unidentified aerial and
celestial objects, to determine which of them could be explained on purely astronomical lines -- that is, how
many cases give evidence to descriptions of meteors, fireballs or bolides, comets, the planets, or even the sun or
moon. Analysis was based entirely on these reports, furnished by Project GRUDGE offices, with no attempt to
make independent interrogation of witnesses, since this was not authorized under the contract. Nor was any
attempt made to deduce explanations for the non-astronomical incidents, although hypotheses which appeared
possible from the evidence were noted.
The subject records number 244 and cover, approximately, the period from January, 1947, to January, 1949.
They do not, however, correspond exactly to the number of separate incidents: sometimes, two or more reports
refer to the same object observed by different people (although in general such cases have been handled by
affixing letters to the incident numbers, thus: 33, 33a, 33b); occasionally, subdivisions of one number patently
refer to separate phenomena. To avoid confusion, one report is being submitted by this investigator for each
numbered incident, with cross references for identical or similar incidents, and separate discussions for those
including more than one phenomenon.
Inasmuch as the avowed object of the investigation was solely to indicate the possible astronomical content
of the reports at hand, in the primary analysis all evidence was accepted at face value, with no attempt to
evaluate psychological factors. Frequently, however, when fairly liberal limits of tolerance were allowed, the
report made sense physically, whereas the literal statement did not. (Whenever allowance was made for
possible errors arising from subjective reporting, the fact was noted.) Furthermore, while some of the reports
verge on the ludicrous, the attitude deliberately adopted was to assume honesty and sincerity on the part of the
reporter. Among the general public, two attitudes toward "flying saucers" seem to be prevalent: one, that all are
obviously illusions, hallucinations, or hoaxes; the other, that "there must be something to it." From the outset,
this investigator has attempted to regard each report, insofar as is logically possible, as an honest statement by
the observer, and to adhere to neither of the two schools of thought.
One further comment should be made: almost all of the data dealt with in this investigation are extremely
tenuous. Many of the observers' reports are incomplete and inexact, and some are distinctly contradictory.
Therefore, it has obviously been impossible to reach definite, scientific conclusions. Most explanations are
offered in terms of probability, the degree of which is discussed in the individual reports, but can be indicated
only generally in the statistics which follow.
What, in particular, was gathered from the evidence concerning the astronomical character of the objects
observed?
Of the 244 incidents submitted, 7 are excluded from all statistical reckoning: 1 is identified (in the subject
report) as a hoax, 3 are duplicates, and 3 contain no information. In summarizing the findings of the remaining
237, two systems of classification are possible:
First, all incidents can be placed in one of two classes: 1) those which under no stretch of the imagination
can be regarded as astronomical or extra-terrestrial (extra-terrestrial throughout this investigation refers solely
to natural objects not originating on earth; it does not include "space ships from other planets"), and 2) those
which either are definitely astronomical or can by suitable manipulation of the evidence be construed as such.
The object here is to segregate all cases in which any vestige of astronomical origin is indicated. When this
division is made, 111, or 47%, fall into the definitely non-astronomical category; or, conversely stated, 126, or
53%, might conceivably be considered (although the likelihood of their being so may be very small) as extraterrestrial or astronomical in origin. The exact percentage is not important. The significant thing is that over
50% of the incidents might possibly be explained astronomically, if wide enough tolerances were allowed.
The primary purpose here, however, is to segregate incidents which have a reasonable degree of certainty of
astronomical origin. Therefore, in a second, more detailed breakdown, incidents are placed in one of three
classes, according to the most probable interpretation seen in the evidence offered (with a minimum of
allowance for subjective observation). Class 1 includes the astronomical incidents (with degree of probability
indicated). The non-astronomical incidents are divided into two classes, because it appeared as the work
progressed that they fell naturally thus: in some, the evidence at hand suggested a simple explanation; in others,
it did not. Listings under class 2 are not to be considered in any way decisive (with the exception of a few
which, according to subject reports, have been definitely identified); they are offered as suggestions.
A summary of the results of this breakdown is shown in the table on the following page.
According to these findings, 78, or almost one-third, of the 237 incidents yet remain without an appropriate
hypothesis for explanation. It is likely, of course, that with additional evidence a number of those included in
class 3a would be easily explained (some of them, probably, astronomically). There are, however, at least 48
incidents in which the evidence, if correct as given, does not fit any simple explanation, and a number of these
were reported by presumably well-qualified observers.
COLLATERAL STUDIES
In relation to the investigation, besides the individual analyses of separate incidents, two brief studies were
conducted:
Certain breakdowns of the subject reports were made, for the purpose of determining whether they include
any prevalent characteristics; for example, incidents were grouped according to the date of occurrence, the
hour, the presence or lack of noise, presence or lack of trail or exhaust, number of observers, general
qualification of observers (whether with appropriate training for accurate observation of aerial phenomena -aviators, weather observers, etc.; or laymen). Although these classifications were helpful in spotting identical or
similar incidents, they revealed no pertinent trends.
As a matter of general interest, the highly dubious works of Charles Fort (which, as has been stated in a
previous report, are entirely reprehensible in viewpoint, but which do contain accounts of unusual aerial
sightings over a period of many years) were examined, to check whether any of the reasonably authenticated
incidents are similar to these recent reports. It was found, however, that Mr. Fort's accounts do not include
specific evidence to reveal positive similarities, and the most that can be said of the works is that they indicate
that strange objects in the sky have been reported long before this post-World War II flurry.
RECOMMENDATIONS
This investigator would like to offer three recommendations, one in the general interest of the nation's
airmen, and two as aids toward more effective investigation of the problem of unidentified aerial objects, if
such work is continued:
First and foremost, it is definitely recommended that Air Force personnel be apprised of simple astronomical
phenomena like the recurrent brilliance of Venus and the characteristics of a typical fireball, so that much
confusion and alarm and even possible tragic consequences can be avoided. If, as seems possible, Lieutenant
Mantell met his death while attempting to chase down Venus, certainly the need for such basic education is
great.
Second, if Project GRUDGE is authorized to extend its investigations, it might be found profitable to
interrogate personally varied trained personnel concerning any untoward aerial objects which they may have
observed in the past. Many competent observers might hesitate to take the initiative in reporting such
phenomena for fear of ridicule or criticism, yet it is only from such people that accurate and meaningful
observations can be obtained; reliance on the general public for such observations is almost certain to prove of
little value. It would be of considerable aid to know whether (aside from the few cases reported here)
experienced pilots, weather observers, and other "watchers of the sky" have ever found unidentified objects
there. Even negative results would prove valuable, for they would offer evidence for the belief held by many
that the unexplained incidents do not really involve tangible physical objects.
Third, if this type of investigation is to be continued, men with proved scientific and technical ability should
be assigned to carry out the interrogations and investigations; it would be preferable either that the interrogator
and technical specialist be the same person or, at least, that they work together in close harmony. Such an
arrangement would aid greatly in lessening the incompleteness and inexactness of evidence which has thus far
hindered the explanation of many "flying saucer" incidents.
[1a]: Astronomical; high probability.
[1b]: Astronomical; fair or low probability.
[2a]: Non-astronomical but suggestive of other explanations; balloons or ordinary aircraft.
[2b]: Non-astronomical but suggestive of other explanations; rockets, flares or falling bodies.
[2c]: Non-astronomical but suggestive of other explanations; miscellaneous (reflections, auroral streamers,
birds, etc.)
[3a]: Non-astronomical, with no explanation evident; lack of evidence precludes explanation.
[3b]: Non-astronomical, with no explanation evident; evidence offered suggests no explanation.
[!]: Dr. Hynek states that insufficient details are provided.
[X]: Evidence offered suggests no explanation.
[Object]: Dr. Hynek was able to identify what was observed in an incident.
[Object?]: Dr. Hynek was unable to identify what was observed and instead guessed at what might have been
observed.
[SWB?]: According to the Air Weather Service, a synoptic weather balloon could have been at the location
where this sighting was reported. (See communication of 24th Jan 1949.)
[Not in Grudge Report]: The book of Project Sign correspondence features correspondence on two cases
which were not included in Dr. Hynek’s final report.
AWS: The Air Weather Service at Andrews Air Force Base checked incident summaries 173 - 233 against
routine weather balloon ascents made by the Air Force, Navy and Weather Bureau. Comments based on their
review are included. (See communication of 11th May 1949.)
3160: 3160 Electronics Station, Cambridge Field Station: "A listing has been compiled of all balloons
launched by these laboratories and its contractors for special atmospheric research purposes, from the first such
launching to No. 101 on 17 November 1948. Each of these launchings has been compared with the reported
incidents 1 through 172. Factors of comparison were date of launching and date of recovery with respect to date
of reported incidents; place of launching and place of recovery with respect to the place of reported incidents,
and possible deviations from the known flight path with respect to the place of reported incidents." (See
communication of 18th April 1949.)
Fitts: Extracts from Appendix G of the Grudge Report: Psychological Analysis of Reports of Unidentified
Aerial Objects by Dr. Paul M. Fitts. The entirety of the section of his report titled "Discussion of Several
Specific Reports" appears (discussion of incidents #30, 48, 61, 81, 163, 172).
AMC: Incident descriptions taken from Appendix I of Grudge Report: "Summary of AMC Evaluation of
Remaining Reports," the introduction to which states, "In the following section of this report, each remaining
unexplained incident is considered separately. It is not the intent to generally discredit the character of
observers, but each case has undesirable elements, and these cannot be disregarded."
AMC Opinion: "AMC Opinion" follows the description of each incident in Appendix I of the Grudge Report.
AIS 203: Air Intelligence Report No. 100-203-79, ANALYSIS OF FLYING OBJECT INCIDENTS IN THE
U.S., Air Intelligence Division Study No. 203, Directorate of Intelligence and Office of Naval Intelligence (see
communication of 10th December 1948). Appendix C of this is titled, "Selected Reports of Flying Object
Incidents," which is the source for the comments here.
Case Report: The book of Project Sign correspondence provides brief details on certain cases. Where these
contain details not present elsewhere, they have been included.
Bloecher: Comments by Ted Bloecher from his 1967 book, Report on the UFO Wave of 1947.
McDonald: Comments by Dr. James E. McDonald from his introduction to Bloecher’s book.
Arnold (1952): Comments by Kenneth Arnold from his article “The REAL Flying Saucer,” published in issue
16 (January 1952) of Other Worlds.
Scully: Comments by Frank Scully, from his book Behind the Flying Saucers.
In correspondence, H. M. McCoy was a Colonel, USAF, Chief, Intelligence Department and W. R. Clingerman
was a Colonel, USAF, Chief, Technical Intelligence Division, Intelligence Department.
In correspondence, communications to “Commanding General, Air Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base, Dayton, Ohio. ATTN: MCIAXO-3” have been edited to read, “Commanding General, Air Materiel
Command”, to save space.
Incident #87 -- Germany -- date not given [3a] [!] [X] [SWB?]
As this incident is reported, it is very unlikely that any astronomical interpretation can be offered. The
description is probably of a low order of reliability, however, and it is not beyond reason that a spiral smoke
trail (“first thought it was a cloud”) from a meteor was observed. Unfortunately, no definite conclusion can be
drawn.
Incident #65 -- Rehoboth Beach, Delaware -- September 1946, October 1946, 2 June 1947 [2b] [!]
[Missiles?]
This incident contains nothing astronomical.
It is entirely possible that the objects observed on these three separate dates were “Bumble Bees,” ram-jet
[sic]missiles, as fired from Fort Miles by the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University. Since
the hour of observation of the various sightings (and the exact day of the first two) is not given in material
submitted to this investigator, positive identification cannot be made; but if these facts are known, inquiry at the
above-mentioned laboratory (address: 8621 South Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland) might bring forth
definite identification.
Incident #31 -- northern Arizona -- mid-December 1946 [1a] [Fireball]
The trail seen here was almost certainly that of a slow-moving fireball. In daylight quite frequently the
primary thing observed in such cases is a white smoke trail.
Incident #54 -- between Dutch coast & Norfolk, England -- 16 Jan 1947 [2a] [Aircraft]
The object observed here was obviously not astronomical.
From the information given, it appears that this was definitely an aircraft.
Incident #79 -- Richmond, Virginia -- April 1947 [3b] [X]
There is no astronomical explanation for this incident, which, however, deserves considerable attention,
because of the experience of the observers and the fact that the observation was made through a theodolite and
that comparison could be made with a pibal balloon. The observers had, therefore, a good estimate of altitude,
of relative size, and of speed -- much more reliable than those given in most reports.
This investigator would like to recommend that these and other pibal observers be quizzed as to other
possible, unreported sightings.
AMC: A weather bureau observer at the Richmond Station observed on three different occasions, during the
six-month period prior to April 1947, a disc-like metal chrome object. All sightings were made through a
theodolite while making pibal observations. On the last reported sighting, the balloon was at 15,000 feet
altitude, the disc followed for fifteen seconds. It was shaped like an ellipse with a flat level bottom and a domelike top. The altitude and speed were not estimated, but the object, allegedly through the instrument, appeared
larger than the balloon. Another observer at the same station saw a similar object under corresponding
circumstances, with the exception that her balloon was at an altitude of 27,000 feet and possessed a dull
metallic luster. There was good visibility on days of observation. Report of this sighting was not submitted until
22 July 1947.
AMC Opinion: There is no readily apparent explanation. If there were only one such object, it seems
amazingly coincidental that it would be seen four times near the pibal of this station only. On the other hand,
there would have been a great number of these objects to rule out coincidence, and as the number of objects
increases so do the chances of sightings by other witnesses.
AIS 203: During April 1947, two employees of the Weather Bureau at Richmond, Virginia reported seeing a
strange metallic disk on three occasions through the theodolite while making PIBAL observations. One
observation was at 15,000 feet when a disk was followed for 15 seconds. The disk appeared metallic, shaped
something like an ellipse with a flat bottom and a round top. It appeared below the balloon and was much larger
in size. The disk appeared to be moving rather rapidly, although it was impossible to estimate its speed. The
other observations were made at 27,000 feet in like manner.
Bloecher: As early as the middle of April, 1947, at the Weather Bureau in Richmond, Virginia, a U.S.
Government meteorologist named Minozewski and his staff had released a pibal balloon and were tracking its
east-to-west course at 15,000 feet when they noticed a sliver, ellipsoidal object just below it. Larger than the
balloon, this object appeared flat on bottom, and when observed through the theodolite used to track the
balloon, was seen to have a dome on its upper side. Minozewski and his assistants watched the object for 15
seconds as it traveled rapidly in level flight on a westerly course before disappearing from view. In the official
report on file at the Air Force's Project Blue Book, at Wright-Patterson Field, Ohio, this sighting is listed as
Unidentified.
McDonald: Just a matter of days before this writing, I spoke on the telephone with Walter A Minczewski, the
U. S. Weather Bureau observer whose April, 1947, theodolite-tracking case is cited in the text. Minczewski
emphasized that he had never reported it to other than his Weather Bureau superiors and hence was surprised to
be called about it twenty years later. Yet his recollection of the details of the whitish disc-like object he had
tracked one clear morning in Richmond, Virginia, was still distinct in his mind.
Incident #82 -- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma -- between 17-21 May 1947 [1b] [Fireball?]
At first glance it does not appear that this incident has any astronomical explanation, but there are several
portions of the description that can fit into such a picture, particularly if allowance is made for subjective
reporting. The speed and manner of flight tally with that to be expected from an early-evening bolide. The
observer states that the object was “round but disclike [sic]” and then again says that it was ten times longer
than thick. It appears to this investigator that this sort of impression could be given by a bolide, the persistence
of vision accounting for the reported elongated appearance.
AIS 203: The following month, [redacted], a field engineer for Radio Corporation of America, reported a disk
flying near his home in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The object was thought to be at an altitude between 10,000
feet and 18,000 feet, and was moving toward the north at a high rate of speed, leaving no trailing effects.
Bloecher: Another early sighting in the official files is the report by Byron Savage of Oklahoma City--like
Arnold, a businessman and private pilot. He had seen an object about six weeks before Arnold, on May 17 or
18, and his report was one of the first to receive widespread attention in the newspapers immediately after
Arnold's appeared. The Oklahoma City Times gave it prominent space on June 26. At the time of his sighting,
Savage had been out in his yard; it was dusk and the sky was still light when he saw an object "come across the
city from just a little east of south. ... Its altitude was very high--somewhere around 10,000 feet, I couldn't be
sure. Funny thing about it, it made no noise. I don't think it had any kind of internal combustion engine. But I
did notice that right after it went out of sight I heard the noise of rushing wind and air. I told my wife right
away, but she thought I must have seen lightning." He further described the object was being of "a shiny,
silvery color," and very large--"bigger than any aircraft we have." He said it was "perfectly round and flat." In
the Blue Book file he described the object as appearing ellipsoidal in shape as it approached, and completely
circular while passing directly overhead on a course to the northwest. In this account he said that it appeared
three times as fast as a jet. It disappeared from view in 15 to 20 seconds. Although the sighting details given by
Savage are far more complete than those given by Blue Book as "explained," this report falls in the category of
Insufficient Information.
Incident #92 -- Manitou Springs, Colorado -- 19 May 1947 [2a] [Balloon?/Aircraft?/X]
There is no astronomical explanation for this incident; the reversal of direction of flight and the maneuvers
executed by the object preclude this.
The speed is not stated with any exactness, but if it was not too great, the object might have been a balloon,
or aircraft seen under unusual conditions. Otherwise, there appears to be no plausible explanation.
Bloecher: Another case in the Air Force files occurred on May 19, sometime between 12:30 and 1:00 p.m., at
Manitou Springs, Colorado. Seven employees of Pike's Peak Railway, including Navy veteran Dean A. Hauser,
mechanics Ted Weigand and Marion Hisshouse, and T. J. Smith and L. D. Jamison, were having lunch when
Weigand noticed a bright, silver-colored object approaching rapidly from the northeast. It stopped almost
directly overhead and the group of men watched it perform wild gyrations for a number of minutes. Hauser said
the object, after having approached in a straight line, "began to move erratically in wide circles. All this time it
reflected light, like metal, but intermittently, as though the angle of reflection might be changing from time to
time." It was difficult to get a clear idea of its shape, and even viewing it through binoculars did not appear to
"bring it any closer." They estimated its height at 1,000 feet. For nearly twenty minutes they watched it climb,
dive, reverse its flight course, and finally move off into the wind in a westerly direction. "It disappeared in a
straight line in the west northwest in a clear blue sky," Hauser reported. At no time did anyone hear any noise.
An account of the sighting appeared in the Denver Post of June 28. The next day the Post reported that
witnesses had been interviewed by representatives of the 15th Air Force headquarters and the results of the
investigation would be sent on to Washington. The results, probably unknown even to this day, were "possible
birds."
Incident #38 -- Hungary -- around 10 June 1947 [3a] [!] [X]
It is extremely unlikely that the objects observed in Hungary were meteorites, unless the meager description
given here is quite inaccurate. Without knowledge of the speed and trajectory of the objects, nothing definite
can be said.
Incident #24 - Weiser, Idaho -- 12 June 1947 [1b] [Fireball?]
There is nothing in the description of this incident that is fatal to the hypothesis that the objects observed
were parts of a “double fireball,” but any such identification must remain uncertain.
The most convincing element favoring the meteoric hypothesis is the persistent train. Fireballs occasionally
leave trains that persist for over an hour.
As far as trajectory is concerned, this is in agreement with that to be expected from a meteor on its way out
from the sun (it having gone toward the sun several weeks previously and now being on its return journey
toward outer space). Such a fireball would be travelling relatively slowly, and could appear to “shoot out from
the sun” and to travel in a southeasterly direction.
The absence of bright flame and of noise is not unusual, since reported daylight meteors are frequently not
luminous (but do leave a trail), and often no noise is heard.
Nor is the fact that there were two such objects fatal to the hypothesis. The object could easily have been
single and have broken in two, either in its journey around the sun or upon entering the earth’s atmosphere.
There have been several cases of comets that were singled on their trip toward the sun and double on the way
out. Since comets and meteors are closely related as far as structure is concerned, the double feature is entirely
possible.
The shooting up and down might be dismissed as subjective and illusory, although small bits shooting off
from the main meteor could also give this effect.
In spite of all this, this investigator would prefer a terrestrial explanation for the incident.
Bloecher: Case 8 -- June 12, Weiser, Idaho:
Mrs. Herbert Erickson, of Route #2, Weiser, and a neighbor, reported that they had seen two small, round
objects brightly glistening in the sun, flying over Weiser on a southeasterly course at 6:15 p.m. MST. One
object followed the other, both at high speed, after an interval of several seconds. The sky was clear and the
witnesses said the objects emitted vapor trails that held their shapes and drifted slowly across the sky for the
next hour.
As the objects passed over, each made two rapid descents toward the ground, "shooting up and down," as
Mrs. Erickson explained, before circling back up and resuming their southeasterly flight. Each of the objects
had been in view for several seconds, according to the witnesses. Included among the sightings in the Air Force
files, the official explanation for this report is "contrails." Nothing is said about what it was that left them there.
Source: USAF files; Keyhoe, Donald E., The Flying Saucers Are Real, pp. 24, 158-59
Incident #29 -- Bakersfield, California, 1200 and 1415 -- 14 June 1947 [3b] [X]
There is nothing whatever in this incident to suggest that the objects observed were of astronomical origin.
Their maneuvers and the relatively long time they were in sight preclude any possible astronomical
interpretation.
It is of interest to note that in this locality and at this season other possibly-similar [sic], non-astronomical
incidents were reported -- e.g., #17 and #68.
AMC: The observer, an experienced pilot, reported sighting ten and later seven objects at 8500 ft altitude,
traveling 350 MPH in a loose "V" formation. Although the objects were apparently at a considerable distance,
the reporter described them a being similar to the XF5U-1 "Flying Flapjack." He stated that he attached no
particular importance to this sighting until he read of the Cascade Mountain sighting, (Incident No. 17). He then
recalled this incident.
AMC Opinion:
There is no information contained in this report to refute the assumption that these
objects were ordinary aircraft beyond the range of identification. The fact that no one else in Bakersfield
reported observing anything unusual, tends to substantiate this conclusion.
[Incidents #17, 68: 24th June 1947]
Incident #22 -- Spokane, Washington -- 21 June 1947 [2a] [!] [Balloons?]
This incident does not have any obvious astronomical explanation.
The information given is too limited to suggest any definite interpretation. It would seem, however, that the
objects might possibly have been a series of balloons.
Bloecher: Case 20 -- June 21, Spokane, Washington:
While watching a plane fly over at 11:55 a.m. PST, Guy R. Overman, of Spokane, said his attention was
attracted to several flashing objects in the southern sky, ahead of and below the plane. The flashes came from
one silvery object which appeared as "a more or less distinct line, or slim body," moving on a course to the
south, or a little west of south. This object appeared quite large, and did not seem to be traveling as fast as the
plane. Above this object and apparently at the same, or possibly higher, altitude as the plane, were two more
smaller [sic], less distinct objects, also moving in the same direction. These smaller objects, like the larger one,
were silver in color and were also "flashing." The plane soon outdistanced all three objects, which disappeared
after several minutes to the south. The sighting is among those in Air Force files and is explained as "balloons."
Source: USAF Files; Keyhoe, Donald E., The Flying Saucers Are Real, p. 24
Incident #46 -- Greenfield, Massachusetts -- 22 June 1947 [1b] [Meteor?]
This incident does not admit of a ready astronomical explanation. The absence of a trail does not favor the
meteoric hypothesis, although the speed and brilliance of the object might.
Incident #17 -- Mt. Rainier, Washington, afternoon -- 24 June 1947 [3b] [Aircraft?]
There appears to be no astronomical explanation for this classic incident, which is the prototype of many of
the later flying saucer stories.
It is impossible to explain this incident away as sheer nonsense, if any credence at all is given to Mr.
Arnold's integrity. However, certain inconsistencies can be pointed out in the facts, as reported:
Arnold's attention was first drawn to the objects by a bright flash on his plane, which was followed by
numerous other similar flashes. If these were something like the flash one gets from a distant mirror, it means
that the reflection was specular, or direct. For a direct reflection, the angle between the observer, sun, and
object must be "just right," and at such distances as 20 or 25 miles, the chance of a series of direct reflections is
extremely small. If the object was a diffuse reflector -- that is, scattering the sunlight falling on it, much as the
moon or a balloon does -- then at such a distance it seems quite unlikely that Mr. Arnold would have been
startled, or that our attention would have been called to it, unless the objects reflecting were extremely large.
The supersonic speeds called for if the estimated distance is correct also throw suspicion on the original
calculations; by computation (see below) it can be seen that, considering the detail which Arnold observed in
the objects, at least one of his estimates must have been erroneous:
Arnold states that the objects seemed about 20 times as long as wide. Let us assume that the thickness was
just discernible, which means that the object was just at the limit of resolution of the eye. Now, the eye cannot
resolve objects that subtend an angle of appreciably less than 3 minutes of arc, and, in general, for any detail to
be seen at all, the angle subtended must be much greater. Even if we assume the limiting resolution of 3
minutes, then, if the distance was 25 miles, elementary calculations show that each object must have been at
least 100 feet thick, and if, as Arnold's drawings indicate, the object was some 20 times longer than wide, it
must have been about 2000 feet long.
Looking at the matter in another way and assuming that Arnold's estimate of distance as 20 to 25 miles
(125,000 feet) and his estimate of length as 45 to 50 feet are both correct, then it can be shown that the object
will subtend an angle of only about 60 seconds of arc, which is definitely below the limit of resolution of the
eye.
If Arnold actually saw the objects, and if this estimate of distance is correct, that of size cannot be, and vice
versa. It seems most logical to assume that his estimate of distance is far too great. In fact, assuming a
reasonable limiting size to the objects of 400 feet, in order to show the detail that Arnold's drawings indicate,
the distance must have been not over roughly six miles. At this distance the objects would have travelled 11
miles (rather than 47 miles) in 102 seconds, or at a rate of approximately 400 MPH. (Arnold's original estimate
is also incorrect; if the objects had travelled 47 miles in 102 seconds, they would have been travelling at a rate
of approximately 1700 MPH, not 1200.)
In view of the above, it appears probable that whatever objects were observed were travelling at subsonic
speeds and may, therefore have been some sort of known aircraft.
AMC: One witness viewed nine "saucer-like discs" from the air calculated to be 20 to 25 miles distant, and 4550 feet in length, (about 20 times as long as wide) which traveled 47 miles in 102 seconds (1700 MPH). Dr.
Hynek calculated mathematically (see Appendix B) that assuming the estimate of distance to be accurate, in
order to see such detail, the objects would need to have been at least 100 feet thick, therefore 2000 feet long. If
the estimated size is more nearly correct, then to have been seen as described, the objects would have been
roughly six miles distant. At this distance they would have traveled only 11 miles in 102 seconds, or
approximately 400 MPH. The entire report of this incident is replete with inconsistencies. it is to be noted that
the observer has profited from this story by selling it to Fate magazine.
AMC Opinion: The report cannot bear even superficial examination, therefore, must be disregarded. There are
strong indications that this report and its attendant publicity is [sic] largely responsible for subsequent reports.
Ruppelt (extract): In 1947 this was a fantastic story, but now it is just another UFO report marked “Unknown.”
It is typical in that if the facts are accurate, if Arnold actually did see the UFO’s go behind a mountain peak,
and if he knew his exact position at the time, the UFO problem cannot be lightly sloughed off; but there are
always “ifs” in UFO reports.
Bloecher: If Kenneth Arnold, while flying on business from Chehalis to Yakima on June 24, had decided not to
assist in the search for a C-46 Marine transport that had crashed on the slopes of Mount Rainier, the
introduction to the modern period of UFO activity would have been quite different. He chose to make this sidetrip, however, and in consequence became one of those persons who are in the right place at the right time.
Shortly before 3:00 p.m. he was approaching the mountain from the west side, as he began a turn of 180
degrees toward the south his eye was caught by a flash, as if "a mirror were reflecting sunlight at me." Alert for
other aircraft, he looked around and saw, to his left and north of Mount Rainier, a chain-like formation of nine
brightly scintillating objects rapidly approaching the mountain on a roughly southern heading. As they came
closer he could see that they were nine flat, discoid objects arranged in a diagonally stepped-down echelon
formation stretched out over a distance he later calculated to be five miles. They were evenly spaced but for a
wider gap between the fourth and fifth objects. As they crossed the snow-covered summit of Rainier and
approached a peak to the south of it, he decided to clock their speed; since they were headed toward Mount
Adams, the two mountains would make excellent reference points.
He began to time them as the first object reappeared from behind the outlier peak on the southwest flank of
Mount Rainier. (He later identified this peak as Goat Rocks, but he is probably in error as Goat Rocks is
approximately halfway between Mount Rainier and Mount Adams.) The objects followed the hog back that
stretches to the south, flying erratically and swerving in and out of the lesser peaks "like the tail of a kite." He
noticed that the objects would flip from side to side in unison, flashing brightly as they did. He also noticed
something else--a detail he did not mention in his official report: as the objects flipped from side to side, they
presented their lateral surfaces and Arnold saw that one of the objects appeared to be different from the rest, in
the shape of a crescent. He hadn't attached much importance to it at first for, as he wrote later in The Coming of
the Saucers (pp. 22-23), "I thought it was the angle from which I observed this particular one which made it
look different and I wasn't completely positive about it."
The objects covered the 50-mile distance between the two mountains in one minute and forty-two seconds.
Amazed, Arnold began making some rapid calculations as he flew over the area to measure the distance. The
results were astonishing: the discs had been flying at a speed of 1,700 miles an hour! To allow for
miscalculation he reduced this figure by 500--but even 1,200 miles an hour was an amazing speed.
When he landed at Yakima an hour later he went straight to Al Baxter, general manager of Central Aircraft,
to tell of his experience. The story quickly spread around the airport, and his descriptions and calculations were
discussed with great interest by the pilots and mechanics there. And when Arnold later flew on to Pendleton,
word of his strange story had preceded him, for on his arrival he found a platoon of incredulous newsmen,
looking for a good silly-season story. They had only to meet the originator of this seemingly preposterous tale,
however--a pilot with more than 4,000 hours of flying experience over some of the most mountainous territory
in the United States; a reputable salesman of fire-control equipment over a wide area, who did much of his
business by air; a deputy sheriff with the Ada County, Idaho, Sheriff's Aerial Posse department--and hear his
cautious recounting of what had happened, to change their initial skepticism to keen interest. They went over
and over his calculations of speed and the figure kept coming out the same. Nothing but rockets went that fast
in 1947, and no one knew of any rockets being sent up over Mt. Rainier.
As a result of this meeting with newsmen in Pendleton, Kenneth Arnold's story was filed in a reasonably
serious, straight-forward [sic] manner, and appeared in papers all over the country. In the more than 150
newspapers examined for this report, a wire service account appeared in nearly every one, often as a front-page
story.
In the Air Force files the sighting is explained as a "mirage," although it has often been referred to as an
"unknown." Even the intelligence officers assigned to investigate the case, Lt. Frank Brown and Captain
William Davidson, of Hamilton Field, California, were impressed with Arnold's sighting, for their report, in
part, says: "It is the personal opinion of the interviewer that Mr. Arnold actually saw what he stated he saw. It is
difficult to believe that a man of (his) character and apparent integrity would state that he saw objects and write
up a report to the extent that he did if he did not see them."
Dr. J. Allen Hynek, scientific consultant to the Air Force's investigation of UFOs, was said to have found
"inconsistencies" in Arnold's report when reviewing the case for Project Sign in late 1948 or early 1949.
According to the Project "Saucer" Press Summary, released in April 1949, the problem lay in reconciling
Arnold's estimate of speed and distance with his estimate of the object's size. Edward J. Ruppelt, in his book,
The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects, describes this question of estimates in more detail (p. 33). Arnold
reported that the objects had been seen at an estimated distance of 20 to 25 miles, and estimated their size to be
about "two-thirds the size of a DC-4," or 45 to 50 feet in length. The objection raised was that an object that
size cannot be resolved by the human eye from that distance; therefore, Arnold's estimate of distance was said
to be in error, the objects having been much closer and traveling at subsonic speeds--speeds well within the
range of known aircraft. This argument ignored the fact that Arnold had established the distance with fixed
reference points, and that it was his estimate of size that must have been wrong, the discs probably being a great
deal larger than he guessed. In view of Dr. Hynek's opinion that the objects were probably some kind of
conventional aircraft, it is curious that the case is listed as "mirage" rather than "possible aircraft."
Within a few days of the publication of Arnold's report, others began to appear. At least twenty people from
more than a dozen widely separated places said that they had seen similar objects. Some of these sightings had
occurred before June 24, some had been made on the same day as Arnold's, and a few on the following days.
Most of the reports came from the northwest. The floodgates were now open for the rush of reports that was
soon to follow. But it had taken a man of Arnold's character and forthright conviction to open them by making
public his report. If it had not been Arnold, which witness and which report would have been the first? It is
impossible to single out any of the early cases of witnesses, for not enough information about them is available.
One point is certain, however: it is difficult to imagine that sightings of strange aerial objects would have
remained "hidden" much after June 25.
16th July 1947
Memorandum for the Officer in Charge
By: Frank Brown, S/A, CIC 4th AF
Incident 4AF 1208 I
1. On 12 July 1947, [redacted], Boise, Idaho, was interviewed in regard to the report by [redacted] that he
saw 9 strange objects flying over the Cascade Mountain Range of Washington state on July 25th [sic].
[Redacted] voluntarily agreed to give the interviewer a written report of exactly what he had seen on the above
mentioned date. The written report of [redacted] is attached to the report as Exhibit A.
AGENT’S NOTE: [Redacted] is a man of 32 years of age, being married and the father of two children. He is
well thought of in the community in which he lives, being very much the family man and from all appearances
a very good provider for his family. [Redacted] has recently purchased a [redacted] in which to conduct his
business to the extent of which is explained in the attached exhibit. It is the personal opinion of the interviewer
that [redacted] actually saw what he stated that he saw. It is difficult to believe that a man of [redacted]
character and apparent integrity would state that he saw objects and write up a report to the extent that he did if
he did not see them. To go further, if [redacted] can write a report of the character that he did while not having
seen the objects that he claimed he saw, it is the opinion of the interviewer that [redacted] is in the wrong
business, that he should be writing Buck Rogers fiction. [Redacted] is very outspoken and somewhat bitter in
his opinions of the U.S. Army Air Forces and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for not having made an
investigation of this matter sooner. To put all the statements made by [redacted] in this report would make it a
voluminous volume. However, after having checked an aeronautical map of the area over which [redacted]
claims that he saw the objects it was determined that all statements made by [redacted] in regard to the
distances involved, speed of the objects, course of the objects and size of the objects, could very possibly be
facts. The distances mentioned by [redacted] in his report are within a short distance of the actual distances on
aeronautical charts of this area, although [redacted] has never consulted aeronautical charts of the type the
Army uses. [Redacted] stated that his business has suffered greatly since his report on July 25 due to the fact
that at every stop on his business routes, large groups of people were waiting to question him as to just what he
had seen. [Redacted] stated further that if he, at any time in the future, saw anything in the sky, to quote,
[redacted] directly, “if I saw a ten story [sic] building flying through the air I would never say a word about it,”
due to the fact that he has been ridiculed by the press to such an extent that he is practically a moron in the eyes
of the population of the United States.
1 Incl: Exhibit “A”
Exhibit “A” [Statement by Kenneth Arnold, Submitted to the FBI]
Some life data [redacted]. My father’s name was [redacted] was [redacted]. I was a resident of Minnesota
until I was six years old [,] when my family moved to also homesteaded [sic] in Scobey, Montana, and became
quite prominent in political circles, along with [redacted], the famous [redacted].
I went to grade school and high school at Minot, North Dakota. I entered scouting at twelve years of age and
achieved the rank of Eagle scout before I was fourteen. My former scout executive was [redacted], now a
[redacted] for the Boy Scouts in Kansas City, Kansas.
As a boy, I was interested in athletics and was [redacted]. I entered the U.S. Olympic trials in [redacted]. I
taught swimming and diving at scout camps and the municipal pool in Minot, North Dakota. I went to the
University of Minnesota, where I swam and did fancy diving under [redacted] and also played football under
[redacted], but upon entering college I was unable to continue my football career because of an injured knee.
My high school football coach was [redacted], who is now [redacted]. I had little or no finances, and my
ambition in furthering my education in college was through my athletics. As a boy in Minot, North Dakota, I
did a good deal of dog sled racing. [Redacted].
In 1938 I went to work for [redacted], a manufacturer of automatic fire fighting apparatus. In 1939 I was
made [redacted] for them over a part of the western states, and in 1940 I established my own [redacted]. I have
been working as an [redacted] on [redacted].
My flying experience started as a boy in Minot, North Dakota, where I took my first flying lessons from
[redacted] who was originally from Great Falls, Montana. Due to the high cost at that time, I was unable to
continue my flying and did not fly of any great consequence until 1943. I was given my pilot certificate by
[redacted], senior CAA inspector of Portland, Oregon, and for the last [redacted], covering my entire territory
with same and flying from forty to one hundred hours per month since. Due to the fact that I was an airplane
entirely in my work, in January this year I purchased a [redacted] airplane, which is an airplane designed for
high-altitude take-offs and short rough field use.
In the type of flying I do, it takes a great deal of practice and judgment to be able to land in most any cow
pasture and get out without injuring your airplane; the runways are very limited and the altitude is very high in
some of the fields and places I have to go in my work. To date, I have landed on 823 cow pastures in mountain
meadows, and in over a thousand hours a flat tire has been my greatest mishap.
The following story of what I observed over the Cascade mountains, impossible as it may seem, is positively
true. I never asked nor wanted ... notoriety for just accidentally being at 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 [redacted] 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 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 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.
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 as 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 feet 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 that they were some kind of jet
plane. I was determined to check 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
pane, 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 have never before observed [illegible]s flying so close to the
mountain tops, flying directly south to [illegible]st down the hog’s back of a mountain range. I would estimate
their [illegible]tion could have varied a thousand feet one way or another up or down ... 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 that time did not impress me particularly, because I knew that our army and air force 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 fin 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 and 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 – holding it up on them and holding it up on the DC-4 – that I could observe 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, 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 the 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 traveled 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 for 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 rolling through my mind. I became more disturbed, so after taking
a last look at Tieton Reservoir I headed for Yakima. [Illegible]ght add that my complete observation of these
objects, which I [illegible]en follow by their flashes as they passed Mt. Adams, was around two-and-a-half or
three minutes, although, by the time they reached Mt. Adams ... 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 kaing [sic] 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 Western/Cedar City Air Lines,
Utah employees, the (pilot) gentleman from Oklahoma City and the locomotive engineer in Illinois, plus
[redacted] and co-pilot [redacted] of United Air Lines.
Some descriptions could not be very accurate taken from the ground unless these saucer-like disks were at
quite 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 United States and people who profess that these objects
have been observed over other portions of the world, principally Sweden, Bermuda and California.
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 the 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 [redacted], a former Army Air Forces pilot who is now [redacted], “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 something that at least Mr. John Doe on the street corner or Pete [illegible]ews
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 FBI as to the authenticity of my story or a mental or physical examination as
to my capabilities, I have received no interest from those 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 a lot 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 [redacted]. I fly a [redacted], 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 [redacted].
(from Flying Saucer Review, Vol. 32, No. 5, August 1987)
Incident #28 -- Idaho -- 24 June 1947 [1b] [Persistent meteor train?/Saturn?/Mercury?] [SWB?]
Any probable astronomical explanation for this incident is dependent upon the hour of observation, which is
not stated in the information given with the summary.
An unconfirmed statement (by Mr. Markham, quoted in material submitted relative to incident #101) that the
observation was made at 3:30 P.M. allows for no possible astronomical explanation other than that a persistent
meteor train may have been observed. Such a phenomenon might have given the general impression suggested
by the limited description of the incident.
If, however, the observation occurred during the early evening hours, shortly after sunset, which occurred
that day at around 8:00 P.M. local time, then it is extremely likely that Lt. Gov. Whitehead saw either the planet
Saturn or Mercury. Mercury set almost exactly an hour after the sun and was of stellar magnitude +1. Saturn, of
magnitude +0.6 and hence about once again as bright as Mercury, set two hours after the sun. A bright planet
shining through thin cirrus clouds could give the impression of a “comet-like object.”
Bloecher: Case 38 -- June 24, Boise, Idaho:
Lt. Governor Donald S. Whitehead and Boise Justice of the Peace J. M. Lampert were in the latter's
downtown office at 3:30 p.m. MST when they saw an object, through the office windows, to the west. With the
two men at the time were Mrs. Lampert and the Justice's secretary. Whitehead described the object as being
apparently motionless. It had "a brilliant head and a filmy smoke for a tail," and he added that had it been
viewed at night, it would have looked, with its tail, "just like a comet." The object "dipped from view after
about 20 minutes," sinking below the line of sight to the west "apparently with the rotation of the earth." At first
the witnesses thought the object may have been a sky-writing [sic] pilot, because of the tail, but "we quickly
changed our minds," according to Whitehead.
In the Air Force files the sighting is explained as "astronomical," and according to the 1949 Project "Saucer"
Summary (p. 11), "Dr. Hynek said it seemed likely Lt. Governor Whitehead observed either the planet Saturn
or Mercury." Neither Saturn nor Mercury have ever been known to be observed with the naked eye at midafternoon; however, the only information on this case in the official files at the time they were examined was a
brief wire service account of the report; this did not include the time of day the sighting had been made. Unless
more pertinent data have been removed from the folder, the astronomical assignment was probably based solely
on Whitehead's remark that the object seemed to disappear with "the rotation of the earth."
Sources: Boise Daily Statesman, July 3; Reno State Journal (UP, Boise), July 3; San Francisco News, July
3; UP in numerous papers for July 3 and July 4; USAF files; USAF Project Saucer Summary, p. 11
Incident #68 -- Cascade Mountains, Washington -- 24 June 1947, Daytime [3b] [X]
There is no astronomical explanation for this incident, which should be considered together with the
Kenneth Arnold case (#17), which occurred on the same day, and in which similar discoid objects were
observed. (The present objects appeared to have tails, however; another major difference between this and the
Arnold incident is the inferred size of the objects, as determined from the estimated distance.)
It is difficult to take seriously the peculiar action of the compass, for this would imply fantastically large
magnetic fields.
AMC: A prospector reported sighting five or six round objects with tails, 1000 ft overhead, heading S.E., and
banking in the sun. The objects were in sight 45-60 seconds and alleged to be thirty feet in diameter. They
made no noise. While the objects were within sight, the observer's compass fluctuated wildly. He states that he
read of a former sighting (incident No. 17) also occurring on 24 June 1947, and submitted this report solely to
add credence to the person who provided that story. While there appears to be an attempt on the part of the
observer to infer that these objects were possibly the same as those reported in (incident No. 17), there are
several major differences, notably as Dr. Hynek points out (app.B), that these objects had tails, and that the
inferred size, as determined from the estimated difference, is quite different. Dr. Valley (App D) has pointed
out and Dr. Hynek concurred that it is difficult to take seriously the peculiar action of the compass for this
would imply fantastically large magnetic fields.
AMC Opinion: From the limited evidence submitted, it is impossible to reach a definite conclusion. However,
two possible psychological factors are readily apparent; one, the observer stated he submitted his report solely
because he had read several days following his observation of another sighting. Therefore, he very likely either
consciously or inadvertently may have attempted to conform his report to that recounted in the newspaper; and
two, he colored his report with inference of huge magnetic fields, as to the implications of which he was
obviously uninformed.
Bloecher: Case 30 -- June 24, in Cascade Mts., Oregon:
On the morning of the same day that Kenneth Arnold made his sighting, a Portland prospector, Fred M.
Johnson, saw a loose group of five or six objects in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. He described them as
"round, metallic-looking discs" and said they appeared to have tails, or fins, as they banked in the sun about
1,000 feet overhead. They were approximately 30 feet in diameter and Johnson turned his telescope on one of
the objects for a closer look. As he did this, he noticed that the needle on his compass was weaving wildly back
and forth while the objects were overhead. This strange reaction stopped as soon as the objects moved off to the
southeast. They had been in view from 45 to 60 seconds. The Air Force classifies this sighting as Unidentified.
Sources: USAF files; Phoenix Arizona Republic (AP, Pendleton, June 25), June 26; Baltimore Sun (AP,
Pendleton, June 25), June 26; Project Saucer Summary, Press Release, April 1949, p. 5; Keyhoe, Donald E.,
The Flying Saucers Are Real, p. 24; Heard, Gerald, Is Another World Watching? pp. 7, 84; Hall, Richard (Ed.),
The UFO Evidence, pp.73, 157
17th September 1947
From: SAC, Portland
To: Director, FBI
Subject: Reports of Flying Discs; Security Matter - X
Refer San Francisco letter dated September 4, 1947.
[Redacted], Portland, reported without consulting any records that on June 24, 1947, while prospecting at a
point in the Cascade Mountains approximately five thousand feet from sea level, during the afternoon he
noticed a reflection, looked up, and saw a disc proceeding in a southeasterly direction. Immediately upon
sighting this object he placed his telescope to his eye and observed the disc for approximately forty-five to sixty
seconds. He remarked that it is possible for him to pick up an object at a distance of ten miles with his
telescope. At the time the disc was sighted by Mr. [redacted] it was banking in the sun, and he observed five or
six similar objects but only concentrated on one. He related that they did not fly in any particular formation and
that he would estimate their height to be about one thousand feet from where he was standing. He said the
object was about thirty feet in diameter, and appeared to have a tail. It made no noise.
According to [redacted] he remained in the vicinity of the Cascades for several days and then returned to
Portland and noted an article in the local paper which stated in effect that a man in Boise, Idaho, had sighted a
similar object but that authorities had disclaimed any knowledge of such an object. He said he communicated
with the Army for the sole purpose of attempting to add credence to the story furnished by the man in Boise.
[Redacted] also related that on the occasion of his sighting the objects on June 24, 1947 he had in his
possession a combination compass and watch. He noted particularly that immediately before he sighted the disc
the compass acted very peculiar, the hand waving from one side to the other, but that this condition corrected
itself immediately after the discs had passed out of sight.
Informant appeared to be a very reliable individual who advised that he had been a prospector in the states of
Montana, Washington, and Oregon for the past forty years.
Incident #44 -- near Milwaukee, Wisconsin -- 28 June 1947 [3a] [!] [X]
Information here is insufficient to indicate what was seen. If this were a totally independent observation and
not one that was presumably incited by current radio reports of flying saucers, more weight could be given to it.
As it is, with flying saucer talk rampant, almost anything from meteors to balloons or aircraft would be reported
as saucers by uncritical observers. It is unlikely, however, that there was anything astronomical about this
incident.
Incident #45 -- Illinois -- 28 June 1947 [3a] [!] [X]
See statement concerning incident #44.
Information is entirely insufficient to determine whether anything of an astronomical nature was observed.
Incident #53 -- near Lake Meade, Nevada -- 28 June 1947 [2a] [Balloons?]
There appears to be nothing astronomical about this incident.
According to the observer, the objects had a speed of 285 MPH and were moving on a course of 120°. Now,
since the plane was moving at 285 MPH on a course of 300°, it is possible that the observed motion of the
objects was only apparent (since 180° plus 120° equal 300°), and we can conjecture that a cluster of balloons
(cosmic ray apparatus perhaps) was observed, the motion of which was merely a reflection of the motion of the
plane.
AIS 203: While flying at 10,000 feet on a course of 300 degrees, 30 miles west of Lake Meade, Nevada, an Air
Force lieutenant reported seeing five or six white circular objects in close formation and travelling at an
estimated speed of 285 miles per hour. This sighting occurred on 28 June 1947.
Bloecher: Case 95 -- June 28, 30 miles northwest of Lake Mead, Nevada:
Lt. Eric B. Armstrong, Air Corps pilot of Brooks Field, San Antonio, left Brooks at 2:00 p.m. CST for
Portland, Oregon. An hour and fifteen minutes later, at 1:15 PST, about 30 miles northwest of Lake Mead over
Nevada wasteland, he saw a formation of five or six objects streak by his plane. He described them as white
and circular and said they were in close formation in the four o'clock position off his right wing, at about 6,000
feet, flying a southeast course at an estimated speed of 285 miles an hour. They flew in a straight, horizontal
path and seemed to Armstrong to be about three feet in diameter. They quickly flew out of sight in the opposite
direction, behind the pilot. The Air Force explanation for this sighting is "balloon cluster."
Sources: USAF files; Keyhoe, Donald E., The Flying Saucers Are Real, p. 24; Ruppelt, Edward J., The
Report on Unidentified Flying Objects, pp. 35-36; Hall, Richard (Ed.), The UFO Evidence, pp. 20, 129, 157;
Vallée, Jacques, Anatomy of a Phenomenon, p. 50
Incident #91 -- Montgomery, Alabama -- 28 June 1947 [2a] [Balloon?] [SWB?]
No astronomical object could possible behave in the manner described in this incident.
A small lighted balloon at the mercy of changeable winds aloft might offer a possible explanation.
(The stated position of the moon at the time has been checked and found to be correct.)
Bloecher: Case 102 -- June 28, Montgomery, Alabama:
Four Army Air Corps officers at Maxwell Air Base said they had watched a strangely maneuvering light
over the base at 9:20 p.m. CST. Captain William H. Kayko, Captain John H. Cantrell, First Lt. Theodore
Dewey, and a Captain Redman, watched the bright light for 25 minutes. It was first seen in the west, close to
the horizon, in the clear moonlight. It approached the observers in a jagged, zig-zagging [sic] course, with
frequent bursts of speed. In five minutes the light had approached to a point directly overhead, and the four
officers reported that it then made a sharp, sudden turn to the south, moving slowly toward the southwest,
where the witnesses lost sight of it at 9:45 p.m. They heard no noise. The report, from the Air Force files, is
explained as a "balloon."
Sources: USAF files; Ruppelt, Edward J., The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects, p. 36; Hall, Richard
(Ed.), The UFO Evidence, pp. 20, 129, 157
Incident #21 -- Des Moines, Iowa -- 29 June 1947, 1645 [3b] [X]
There is no obvious astronomical explanation for this Incident.
If the estimate of size can be given any credence at all, the objects could not have been farther than five
miles away; this is an absolute upper limit, and objects probably were very much closer.
AMC: The observer, a bus driver, reported observing thirteen objects at 1200 feet altitude, traveling in a
straight line in file at 300 MPH. The objects were elliptical in form "inverted saucer", 12 ft thick, 175-250 ft in
diameter, dirty white, and made a sound like an electric motor or dynamo. There was no further information
supplied except that the observer stated they looked like dots in the sky.
AMC Opinion:
These objects were seen just outside Des Moines, and were flying toward Des Moines.
If they were not ordinary objects mistaken for something else by the observer, but were really unusual aircraft,
it seems almost certain that someone else would have also reported them. There is insufficient information for a
proper analysis.
Incident #90 -- between Las Cruces, New Mexico & White Sands V-2 firing grounds -- 29 June 1947 [3a]
[!] [X/Meteor?]
The information given here is insufficient for any definite conclusion to be drawn, but it is not impossible
that the object observed was meteoric. The estimated time in sight is quite long, however, and, if a meteor, the
object should have had a pronounced vapor trail. The “solar specular reflection which seemed to change in
intensity” could, of course, have been light from the meteor itself, blended with daylight.
Once again, it is unfortunate that more detailed observations were not made.
AIS 203: The following day a party of three, two of them scientists, were motoring along Highway 17 toward
the White Sand, New Mexico, V-2 firing grounds and reported seeing a large disk or sphere moving
horizontally at a high speed and an estimated altitude of 10,000 feet. It was of uniform shape and had no
protruding surfaces such as wings. The object was in sight for about 60 seconds before it disappeared to the
northeast. The three observers agreed on the details of the sighting except that one thought he had seen vapor
trails.
Bloecher: Case 109 -- June 29, near Las Cruces, New Mexico:
Dr. C. J. Zohn, of Washington, D.C., a guided missiles expert with the Naval Research Laboratory, was in
New Mexico to observe a V-2 rocket launching scheduled for July 3. About 1:15 p.m. MST on the 29th, he was
riding out to the testing grounds to examine the site, in a car driven by John R. Kauke, who was stationed at the
Proving Grounds. Zohn was accompanied by an associate scientist from NRL, Curtis Rockwood, and his wife.
They were about a third of the way en route from Las Cruces, driving northeast on Route 17, when,
according to Dr. Zohn, "Kauke suddenly spotted a glare in the sky" through the windshield of the car. "We all
looked up and saw a silvery disc whirling through the unclouded sky," he later reported. Kauke stopped the car
and Zohn, who was to the driver's right, rolled down the window to get a better look.
The object was ahead of and to the right of the witnesses. it was round, either disc-shaped or spherical, with
no appendages such as wings, tails, or propellers, and it was moving in a straight northerly course at a rapid rate
of speed. Kauke estimated that the altitude of the object was between 8,000 and 10,000 feet, although Dr. Zohn
refused to make any guesses without knowledge of the size of the object. Kauke also described seeing a short
vapor trail at one point during the observation--something the others did not see.
For 30 to 60 seconds the four observers viewed the object, "and then it simply disappeared," Dr. Zohn
reported. "We didn't see it again." Zohn, familiar with many types of guided missiles used by the Navy, said the
object "did not resemble anything" he had ever seen before. A detailed report was made to officials at White
Sands but according to newspaper accounts, this got the witnesses nothing but "fishy-eyed stares" and
"knowing smiles." The Air Force explanation for this sighting is "balloon."
Sources: USAF files; Washington (D.C.) Times-Herald, July 8; Denver Post (UP, Washington), July 8;
N.Y. World-Telegram, July 8; Donald E., The Flying Saucers Are Real, p. 27; Ruppelt, Edward J., The Report
on Unidentified Flying Objects, p. 36; Hall, Richard (Ed.), The UFO Evidence, pp. 30, 129, 157
Bloecher: Case 105 -- June 29, near Cliff, New Mexico:
A rancher near Cliff, named Arthur Howard, reported that he had seen a round, shining object fall to earth in
broken country near his ranch some time during the day. Later, two pilots, Bud Hagen of Hurley and Ed Nelson
of Cliff, made an aerial search of the location. They found nothing; but they reported that at one point while
flying over the reported landing site their plane flew through a layer of "stinking air"--something for which they
could find no explanation.
Source: Albuquerque Journal (AP, Silver City, June 29), June 30
Incident #23 - Boise, Idaho -- 30 June 1947 [1b] [Sun-cloud effect]
It seems exceedingly probable that the object observed in this incident was a combination sun-cloud effect.
The altitude of the sun was 30°, azimuth 280°. At that time of the afternoon, the sun’s position was such that it
could easily have illuminated a background cloud which was perhaps almost entirely covered by a foreground
cloud. (Boise weather reports indicate an entirely clear sky, but the report of the incident itself states that the
object “seemed to be clinging to a huge cloud.”) This investigator himself has observed such effects.
Bloecher: Case 123 -- June 30, Boise, Idaho: At about 5.45 p.m. MST, Mr. and Mrs. Angelo Donofrio, of 917
East Bannock Street, were driving westward just outside Boise to play golf when they saw a bright, silver
object ahead of them, stationary in the sky. It appeared to the witnesses to be a "half-circle" in shape and was
"just as bright and silvery-looking as a mirror caught in the rays of the sun." The witnesses added that it seemed
to be "clinging to the edge of a huge cloud." They watched it for several minutes until they lost sight of it when
driving under some trees. In the Air Force files this sighting is explained as a "sun dog."
Sources: USAF files; Project Saucer Summary, p. 4
Incident #78 -- Grand Canyon, Arizona -- 30 June 1947 [2b] [Man-made instruments falling from
balloons?/Meteorites?] [SWB?]
While it seems more probable that the objects sighted in this incident were freely-falling [sic], man-made
instruments, perhaps from bursted [sic] instrument balloons, the possibility of their being freely-falling
meteorites is not completely ruled out. When the mass of an in-coming meteorite is of the proper order of
magnitude, the meteor can come in on a non-vertical path, become a bright bolide, or fireball, and have its
horizontal speed component reduced essentially to zero. It then falls to earth as a non-luminous, freely-falling
body.
Bloecher: Case 115 -- June 30, near Grand Canyon, Arizona:
Lt. William G. McGinty, U.S. Navy flight student, was flying out of Williams Air Base in the vicinity of
Grand Canyon at 9:10 a.m. MST when he saw two circular, light grey objects descending straight down from
an altitude of 25,000 feet, one after the other. They were moving at "inconceivable speeds," and he estimated
that each was about eight feet in diameter. The two objects appeared to have come to earth some 25 miles south
of the southern rim of the canyon. This sighting is among those in the Air Force files, and it is explained as
"probably meteors."
Source: USAF files
Incident #72 -- Alaska -- 1947 (exact date not known) [3a] [!] [X] [SWB?]
From the scanty information available, it appears improbable that this object was astronomical, unless the
report represents a highly garbled and subjective account of a daylight meteor. (The time of the sighting is not
given, but it is assumed from the description of the incident that it occurred during daylight hours.)
It should be noted as a matter of general record that some of the reports received at observatories of
recognized fireball falls are so highly colored and garbled that if the astronomer did not have independent
evidence of the identity of the object, it would be impossible to determine from these reports.
[Not in Grudge Report -- Hokkaido, Japan -- 1 July 1947]
AIS 203: Reports of radar intercepts point to unusual air activity which may be related to flying objects.
a. On 1 July 1947, a GCA radar at Hokkaido, Japan picked up an unidentified target at 16 miles, with a
speed in excess of 500 mph. This target split into two targets, each estimated to be larger than a P-51.
Incident #77 -- South Brooksville, Maine -- 3 July 1947, 1430 hours [3b] [X]
There is nothing to suggest an astronomical origin of the objects cited in this unusually well reported
incident. Inasmuch as the sightings were made by an “astronomer” (although this investigator has never heard
of him), one can presume that any astronomical implications would have been noted. The observer’s question
“Have any meteorites been reported?” is puzzling, because he should have been able to rule out that possibility
himself. The estimated speed is all that would suggest meteors, and the absence of smoke trails and the general
tenor of the description seem to rule out the objects’ having been daylight meteors.
AMC: This observer, an "astronomer", heard a loud roar and with difficulty observed at 50° elevation
approximately ten very light-colored objects traveling N. W. The group is reported to have covered 1 1/2°
angular diameter in the sky, bunched together with no regular formation. He calculated that at a distance of 10
miles the objects would have a speed of 1200 MPH; that their width must be 100 feet across and due to their
color would be barely visible. He also estimated the object would have a width of fifty feet at five miles with a
speed of 600 MPH. He believed they were aircraft of some type, owing to the loud roar. In his letter he asked,
"have any meteorites been reported?"
AMC Opinion: It is believed that the observer should have been able to rule out the possibility of meteorites.
Reducing the estimate of distance, and correspondingly reducing the required size to that of objects such as
birds or insects, then the speeds become very modest. If the objects were actually five to ten miles distant, and
responsible for the "unusually loud roar", it is expected that numerous other reports would have been received
from this section of Maine, which is thickly populated.
Bloecher: Case 187 -- July 3, Harborside, Maine:
John F. Cole, of South Brookville, Maine, identified in the Air Force report of the sighting as an astronomer,
was at Harborside, on the eastern shore of Penobscot Bay, when, at 2:30 p.m. EDT, his attention was attracted
to the sky by "a loud roar" overhead. Looking up he saw a loose, irregular formation of about ten objects
moving northwest at a speed somewhere between 600 and 1,200 miles an hour. The objects within the
formation were mostly light-colored, and each appeared to be from 50 to 100 feet wide; two of the objects "on
the left tangent of the formation" appeared to have "dark-shaped forms" which the observer thought might have
been wings. The angular width of the entire formation was about one and one-half degrees in diameter when
first seen, and the formation was at a 50-degree elevation to the north. The objects were milling about within
the formation for ten to fifteen seconds as it moved rapidly through about 30° of arc before disappearing from
view in the northwest. In the Air Force files, the sighting is Unidentified.
Source: USAF files; Vallée, Jacques, Anatomy of a Phenomenon, p. 51
Incident #5, 7, 8, 8a, 9, 13, 14, 15 -- Portland, Oregon; Incident #6 -- Milwaukee, Oregon; Incident #12 -Vancouver, Washington; Incident #16 -- Mt. Jefferson, Oregon -- 4 July 1947 [2b] [Aluminum foil tossed
out of an airplane?/Aircraft?/UFO?]
There is no astronomical explanation for this incident, nor for numerous others )#6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15,
16) which occurred in and near Portland on the Fourth of July, 1947.
Besides being observed in the same vicinity and most of them at the same time, the objects seen have in
common a round shape, “terrific” speed, abrupt tactics, and quick disappearance. Abrupt tactics certainly
suggest that the objects were of a very light weight.
This investigator can offer no definite hypothesis, but in passing would like to note that these incidents
occurred on the Fourth of July, and that if relatively small pieces of aluminum foil had been dropped from a
plane over that area, then any one object would become visible at a relatively short distance. Even moderate
wind velocities could give the illusion that fluttering, gyrating discs had gone by at great velocities. Various
observers would not, of course, in this case have seen the same object.
The above is not to be regarded as a very likely explanation but only as a possibility: the occurrence of these
incidents on July 4 may have been a coincidence. Some prankster might have tossed such objects out of an
airplane as part of an Independence Day celebration.
If these were aircraft of either known or unknown type, it would be difficult to explain their appearance over
only one locality and at only one time, their apparent random motion, the lack of any sound or obvious
propulsion method, and the lack of aerodynamic construction.
3160: Incidents No. 5 through No. 16 reported on 4 July 1947 throughout Oregon, Idaho and Washington
gave, in general, descriptions of clusters or groups of objects. The 3 July 1947 balloon launching No. 8 at
Alamogordo was a cluster of balloons and was not recovered, and so might be suspected of being the cause of
these reports. However, although not recovered, this flight was terminated in the New Mexico Tularosa Valley
only a few miles northwest of Alamogordo. That the balloons were downed was determined both by airplane
spotting and by radio detection finding upon the balloon telemetering instruments. Recovery of the balloons
and instruments was prevented by the impassability of the terrain.
AIS 203: On 7 [sic] July 1947, five Portland, Oregon police officers reported varying numbers of disks flying
over different parts of the city. All observations were made within a minute or two of 1305 hours.
Ruppelt: The week of July 4, 1947, set a record for reports that was not broken until 1952. The center of
activity was the Portland, Oregon, area. At 11:00A.M. a carload of people driving near Redmond saw four diskshaped objects streaking past Mount Jefferson. At 1:05P.M. a policeman was in the parking lot behind the
Portland City Police Headquarters when he noticed some pigeons suddenly begin to flutter around as if they
were scared. He looked up and saw five large disk-shaped objects, two going south and three going east. They
were traveling at a high rate of speed and seemed to be oscillating about their lateral axis. Minutes later two
other policemen, both ex-pilots, reported three of the same things flying in trail. Before long the harbor patrol
called into headquarters. A crew of four policemen had seen three to six of the disks, “shaped like chrome hub
caps,” traveling very fast. They also oscillated as they flew. Then the citizens of Portland began to see them. A
man saw one going east and two going north. At four-thirty a woman called in and had just seen one that
looked like “a new dime flipping around.” Another man reported two, one going southeast, one northeast. From
Milwaukie, Oregon, three were reported going northwest. In Vancouver, Washington, sheriff’s deputies saw
twenty to thirty.
Bloecher: Case 227 -- July 4, Troutdale, Oregon:
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Berry, of 915 N.E. Killingsworth Street, Portland, reported that they and an
unidentified friend had seen an object that bore a resemblance to "a star" to the naked eye, as it traveled in a
northeasterly direction over Troutdale at an unspecified time during the day. They examined the object through
binoculars and said through the glasses the object appeared to be V-shaped. It was flying in a straight, level
course, but seemed to be "dipping a bit" as it flew along, and flashing in the sun, according to the witnesses.
Source: Portland Oregonian, July 5
Bloecher: Case 228 -- July 4, Portland, Oregon:
During the afternoon, while others were reporting seeing discs all over the city, Frank Cooley, formerly a
Marine Corps observer, and employed by radio station KOIN in Portland, confirmed the numerous reports of
disc-shaped objects.
Cooley reported seeing twelve of the objects flying overhead at an estimated altitude of 20,000 feet. He
flatly declared they were "operated and maneuverable devices," and believed that they were larger than
generally supposed.
"They plainly exercised maneuvers in the sky," Cooley said. "At one time a number of the discs would get
into formation and fly circles around another disc. It was hard to follow their behavior exactly because of the
great height, their gleaming surface and their nature." He said that they could only be seen clearly when "tilted
to catch the sun's rays." He was convinced, he added, that the discs were operated either "by some human or
remote control." He quickly dismissed suggestions that they might be ordinary, lightweight objects "tossed
around by air currents."
At approximately the same time that Cooley made his observation, a number of similar objects were seen
from the windows of the International news Service office in the Journal building (Case 229). INS employees
said that "at first they appeared to be high-flying birds, as their motion undulated, and it appeared (as if) some
kind of wings propelled them," INS reported.
"They banked sharply and without apparent system of direction. Two objects were so high that reports of
their disc-like appearance could not be verified, but they seemed to move with high speed. They were last seen
heading south after circling sharply over the west-side area."
Source: Los Angeles Herald-Express (INS, Portland), July 5
Bloecher: Cases 230-236 -- July 4, Portland, Oregon
The first report of disc-like objects seen over the city came at about 1:00 p.m. PST when Don Metcalfe,
employed at Oaks Amusement Park, said he saw them over the Park and reported the sighting to Park
superintendent William LeRoy, who then notified police headquarters.
At approximately the same time, Patrolman Kenneth A. McDowell, feeding the pigeons in the parking lot
behind Precinct House No. 1, said that he noticed the pigeons "become quite excited over something." Looking
up, he saw five large, disc-shaped objects dipping up and down in an oscillating fashion. They disappeared
quickly, at great speed, two going south and the remaining three going east. McDowell hurried into the station
to report what he'd seen (#231.)
At 1:05 p.m., Dick Haller, Police Radio Officer at headquarters, sent out an all-car alert to all patrolmen to
report any aerial objects seen over Portland. The response was almost immediate.
Across the Columbia River, at Vancouver, Washington, Clark County Sheriff's Deputies Fred Krives,
Clarence McKay, and John Sullivan, having heard the alert, went outside to check. They reported seeing 20 to
30 disc-like objects streaking over toward the southwest, directly above the Court House. They were "dark, not
flashy," and were reported to have looked like "a bunch of geese." They were flying in a single line, Krives
said, "strung out in what appeared to be evenly-spaced intervals." The objects were breaking formation as they
flew southward, "peeling off to the side" over Portland, about three to five miles away, deploying to the south
and west. The witnesses described hearing a "low humming sound," or "drone," as the objects flew over (#232).
Dr. McDonald interviewed Krives by phone and learned the following: Clarence McKay (now Sheriff of
Clark County) had not been one of the original witnesses, but seven or eight deputies had been present,
including Sullivan, Joe Kurth, Bill Giles, and a deputy named MacKeag. The objects were seen to the
southwest, over the Court House, at an angular elevation of about 30 to 35 degrees. The objects, about 20 in all,
were receding from them, going southwest. They were in several groups, the first of which had about seven
objects in it. The tail end of the formation split off from the main line and formed a separate line, rising above
the others. They were round and disc-shaped, and estimated to be about 1,000 feet high. Their speed was about
that of conventional aircraft. He was emphatic in saying these objects could not have been regular aircraft,
however.
Almost simultaneously, sightings were made by Harbor Patrolmen at the Irving Street headquarters in
Portland. Captain K. A. Prehn, Pilot A. T. Austad, and Patrolman K. C. Hoff said they saw three to six disc-like
objects, resembling "chromium hub-caps, shining and flashing in the sun," going south at an estimated altitude
of 10,000 feet. The appeared to wobble and oscillate as they flew, “turning and weaving," so that at times a full
disc was seen, and at others only a "crescent," making it difficult to be certain how many there were. They were
flying at "terrific speeds" (#233).
Dr. McDonald spoke with Prehn by phone and the news account checked out. Prehn was in his office when
one of the harbor pilots called him out. He recalled the afternoon as being clear with a bright sun. He saw three
objects, like hubcaps face-to-face. They were headed south, and seen to the east, sailing along about the "speed
of an aircraft." They were close enough to see their shape distinctly; their outlines were sharp, not hazy, and
they looked silvery, metallic. The other two men were Pilot Austad and Patrolman Kent Hoff. None of them
were ever interviewed by the Air Force. Prehn had gone inside to get a pair of binoculars and when he got back,
the objects were gone. He is now retired.
Responding to the all-car alert, according to the Portland newspaper accounts, were Patrolmen Walter A.
Lissy and Robert Ellis, in Car 82, near Oaks Amusement Park. Both were veterans, and Lissy was a private
pilot. They described seeing "three flat, round discs flying at terrific speed in a straight-line formation" to the
south. The last disc "fluttered rapidly to the side in an arc." The objects appeared white against the clear blue
sky, with occasional "flashes," and were estimated to be at 40,000 feet. The two witnesses heard no sound, and
saw no vapor trails nor any apparent means of propulsion (#234).
Dr. McDonald was able to interview Walter Lissy by telephone and learned there were several substantial
errors in the original news account. Robert Ellis was not the second witness; Lissy was with Officer Andrew
Fox at the time of the sighting. During press interviews later, Ellis had stepped in for the purposes of
photographs when one of the other witnesses was not present, which accounted for the error. It was Lissy's
recollection that they had seen six or seven objects, rather than three, as reported in the press. He and Fox heard
the alert and saw them high in the sky, near the zenith, somewhat west of south. They were zig-zagging [sic]
and making sharp angle turns. As a pilot, Lissy said he knew these turns were too sharp for any aircraft. He
confirmed their position near Oaks Amusement Park.
Another patrolman reporting to headquarters was Patrolman Earl Patterson, in Car 13, who was
approximately three miles from Lissy, in the southern suburbs at Southeast 82nd Avenue and Foster Road. He
said he had seen a single disc come out of the west, going at "terrific speed" at an estimated 30,000 feet. The
disc was aluminum-colored, or "egg-shell white," and did not appear to reflect the sunlight. It passed under the
sun and, without decelerating, made an abrupt 90-degree turn "with no difficulty" and proceeded toward the
southwest. Because of its strange behavior, Patterson, a former Army Air Corps pilot, was of the opinion that
the object could not have been a plane (#235).
Dr. McDonald spoke with Patterson by phone about the sighting. He was alone in his patrol car at the time,
at Foster Road near 80th. He saw only a single object, as reported, but it did not make any "90-degree turn," as
stated. He said it traveled across the sky from northeast to southwest in an arc at rapid speed. He said it was
aluminum-colored--not "egg-shell white"--and it did reflect the sunlight, "like an aluminum plane." It appeared
to be extremely high but he said it was difficult to tell its height. There was no sound, no vapor trails. He told
McDonald that its speed was what had impressed him the most.
At about the same time the rest of these observations were being made, Sergeant Claude Cross of the Oregon
State Police Department said that he "plainly saw" two or three objects from his headquarters at 9200 S.E.
McLoughlin Blvd., in Milwaukee, due south of Portland. They were seen in the east at an "undetermined
height" and were following each other in a northeasterly direction at a "terrific speed." He said they looked like
"toy balloons, almost pure white, and (they) traveled sideways with no flashing." Dr. McDonald did not
interview this witness (#236).
Meanwhile, scores of residents called the newspapers reporting similar objects (see above). In the Air Force
files, these sightings are explained as "chaff"--strips of aluminum foil used for radar interference. While a flight
of B-29 bombers, followed by a flight of P-80 fighters, had crossed over the city a short time before the
sightings, there is only one reference in the press that would even remotely suggest that something resembling
chaff had been discharged over the city: Burt Nolisch, 64, of 6604 N. Burrage Street, claimed he saw a plane
fly over at 1:00 p.m. and said he saw foil of aluminum pieces nearby, swirling along on the wind currents,
appearing as if they had been dropped by the plane. Apart from Case 231, the cases contained in the Air Force
files are derived entirely from the accounts found in the local press the following day--and many of these were
not accurately recorded. If there was any first-hand information on the July 4 sightings over Portland other than
Patrolman McDowell's report, it was not there when the files were examined for the purposes of this report.
Sources: USAF files; Shallett, Sidney, "What You Can Believe About Flying Saucers." Saturday Evening
Post, April 30, 1949, pp. 20-21; Keyhoe, Donald E., The Flying Saucers Are Real, p. 25; Heard, Gerald, Is
Another World Watching? p. 5; Ruppelt, Edward J., The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects, p. 36; Hall,
Richard (Ed.), The UFO Evidence, pp. 64, 157; Portland Journal, July 5; Portland Oregonion, July 5; Detroit
Free Press (UP), July 5; Cleveland Press (UP), July 5; UP and AP in most papers for July 5 and July 6; Ruppelt,
Edward J., "What the Air Force Found Out About Flying Saucers." True Magazine, May 1954, p. 20
McDonald: I found it especially interesting to speak with a number of police and sheriff's deputies in the
Portland, Oregon, area concerning the unusual July 4, 1947 sightings. This episode is officially explained in Air
Force files as "radar chaff" (aluminum strips dropped to confuse enemy radar), yet it involved repeated
sightings of numerous disc-shaped objects moving rapidly across the daytime sky over Portland. To listen to
those officers retell what they saw, how they reacted, and how their colleagues ribbed them was more than
amusing. But to try to square all those sightings with "radar chaff" is simply annoying; the evidence bears
absolutely no resemblance to observations of falling radar chaff. And so it has gone, over the ensuing years.
Incident #10 -- Boise, Idaho -- 4 July 1947, 2004 hours [3b] [X/Aircraft?]
There appears to be no astronomical explanation for this incident.
One minor lead is suggested: observation was made at the time of sunset, when light conditions are changing
rapidly. Disappearance of the object might have occurred simply because of the changing visibility. It is the
time of the day when illusory effects are most likely to occur, and it might not be out of the question that the
objects actually were other aircraft.
Despite these conjectures, no logical explanation for the incident seems possible at this time.
AMC: An airline pilot and crew watched from the air two groups, (5 and 4 in number) of objects described as
thin and smooth on the bottom and rough on top, silhouetted against sunset and flying "loose formation." They
followed them for forty-five miles; therefore, had them in sight for approximately ten minutes. No further
information was submitted.
AMC Opinion: Since the sighting occurred at sunset, when light conditions change rapidly and illusory effects
are most likely, the objects could have been ordinary aircraft, balloons, birds, or pure illusion. Insufficient
information.
Ruppelt: That night a United Airlines crew flying near Emmett, Idaho, saw five. The pilot’s report read:
Five “somethings” which were thin and smooth on the bottom and rough-appearing on top, were seen
silhouetted against the sunset shortly after the plane took off from Boise at 8:04P.M. We saw them clearly. We
followed them in a northeasterly direction for about 45 miles. They finally disappeared. We were unable to tell
whether they were “smearlike”, oval, or anything else but whatever they were they were not aircraft, clouds or
smoke.
Bloecher: Case 285 -- July 4, between Emmett, Idaho and Ontario, Oregon:
United Airlines Flight Trip 105 left Gowan Field, Boise, bound for Seattle, at 9:04 p.m. MST, with Captain
Emil J. Smith at the controls and First Officer Ralph Stevens in the co-pilot's seat. Before they boarded the
plane in Boise, someone had asked them if they had seen any flying saucers, and Smith jokingly retorted, "I'll
believe them when I see them." Eight minutes later, both he and Stevens were converted into believers. As they
flew over Emmett, Idaho, approaching a cruising altitude of about 7,000 feet, Stevens reached over to blink his
landing lights, believing he had seen a plane ahead at about the same level as the airliner. he called Smith's
attention to it. They immediately saw four more, arranged in a "loose formation."
"At first I thought it was a group of light planes returning from some Fourth of July celebration," said Smith,
"but then I realized the things were not aircraft, but were flat and circular." Not believing their eyes, they called
the stewardess, Miss Marty Morrow, forward. Without telling her what to look for, they directed her attention
to the sky ahead of them. Looking out the cockpit window, Miss Morrow exclaimed, "Why, there's a formation
of those flying discs!"
The objects appeared "huge" and were dark grey, silhouetted against the bright evening sky. The pilots
thought they were much larger than ordinary aircraft, although they couldn't be certain since they didn't know
how far off they were. At no time was there any possibility of colliding with them. The discs were "smooth on
the bottom, and rough on top," according to the witnesses.
As soon as Miss Morrow had confirmed their observation, Smith called the control tower at Ontario,
Oregon, giving his position and flight direction. He asked the tower operators to step outside to see if they
could see anything unusual in the direction from which the plane was approaching. The tower operators saw
nothing, which led Smith to believe that the discs were larger and farther away than they originally estimated-possibly as far away as 30 miles.
The objects appeared to "merge," and then disappeared to the northwest. No sooner had they gone out of
sight when another group came into view to the left and ahead of them (Case 286). By this time the airliner had
reached its cruising altitude of 8,000 feet, and was flying over rugged country toward the Blue Mountains, in
eastern Oregon. In the second group, the discs were arranged in a straight line, three together and the fourth off
by itself. "This group seemed to be higher than our flight path," reported the pilot, "and when they did leave,
they left fast!"
The nine objects had been in view for at least twelve minutes, seen over a distance of more than 45 miles.
Smith was certain that the objects had to be considerably larger than a DC-3 to have been seen for such a great
distance. "They were nothing from the ground in the way of fireworks, reflections, or anything like that," he
asserted. "They weren't smoke and I know they weren't aircraft. ... They were bigger than aircraft."
These objects may fall into the category of Satellite Object Cases, as they were described as "merging" and
separating at one point during the observation. The sighting is Unidentified in the Air Force files. Dr.
McDonald was able to contact Captain Smith and learned he is currently Flight Manager for UAL at Kennedy
Airport in New York City. Smith emphasized that he hasn't kept up with the UFO problem, and his
recollections of that early sighting were somewhat vague. He did confirm having seen two separate groups of
discs, neither of which could have been aircraft. He recalled that Stevens had spotted them first and mistook
them for aircraft, flashing his landing lights as a warning. Smith asked him why he'd flashed them, and Stevens
called his attention to the objects. In his phone conversation with Dr. McDonald, he said it was difficult to
recall the details but he thought that they had passed rather quickly out of view. They saw the second group just
southeast of Ontario, Oregon. This time both he and Stevens saw them simultaneously. He recalled having
called the stewardess up to the cabin, and she verified their observation. The sky was clear at the time--not a
cloud anywhere. They had radioed the tower at Ontario and asked the operator to step outside, but he must have
looked toward the UAL plane, rather than into the twilight sky, for he saw nothing. Their radio conversation
with the Ontario tower was overheard by other stations, so when they arrived at Pendleton for a scheduled
landing, reporters were waiting for their story. He told McDonald that he recalled the bottoms of the objects as
being flat, but their upper surfaces were less distinct. They might have been rounded or might have had some
kind of superstructure, he thought. Smith had no UFO theories and emphasized that he did not wish to be tied in
with any "suppositions," although he was willing to discuss as much of the sighting as he could remember with
Dr. McDonald.
Sources: Portland Oregonian, July 5 and July 6; Portland Journal, July 5; Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 5;
Boise Daily Statesman, July 5 and July 6; Chicago Times (AP, Boise), July 5; Los Angeles Examiner (AP),
July 5; New York Herald-Tribune (AP), July 6; AP, UP and INS in nearly all papers for July 5 and July 6;
USAF files; Arnold, Kenneth, with Ray Palmer, The Coming of the Saucers, pp. 16-19; Keyhoe, Donald E.,
The Flying Saucers Are Real, pp. 25, 163; Heard, Gerald, Is Another World Watching? pp. 3, 5-6; Ruppelt,
Edward J., The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects, p. 37; Hall, Richard (Ed.), The UFO Evidence, pp. 15,
33, 129, 158