Tioga Colorado — June 1949

PROJECT 10073 RECORD :: 1. DATE TIME GROUP ~ l. SOU~CE i Civilian . 4. N\J:,meR OF OaJECTS ;s. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 15 Seconds , 6. TYPE OF OBSERVATION ! Ground-Visual ~ 7. COURSE !e. PHOTOS ' 9. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE Tioga, Colorado 10. CONCLUSION 11. BRIEF SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS Observer siejlted five objects flying in fonnation at an estir.u ted speed of 500-600 mph. The objects were flying in t v.-o echc longs two flying parallel to each other fo!lowed b.r three mor~ which changed position in. rela ti en ship to the !ron tl<JO. The possibility exists that the objects re}X>rted were a cluste ot cosmi s or upp! r air research balloons. ~ CONTRO~. NO. eu-.xc:-at.b - DECIMAL.. P'lLE NO.--- FOLLOW UPON Project Gll1roE AXT-1 RECORDED 8/ll/J.9 H 0 I SUS~EN&E DATE ESTABLISHE D BY tiHili AL.Sll DAT& 0~ R&~I.Y OTHER DI&~OSlTION; TRANSMITTAL ec& OTH& S I OI: 1'011 ltCIItA.o<S of Investi~ution, 22 arran~e1:1ents. .Jr. address is correct V ~1.i.w Y' s te; l e :>h ono as listeu in first is Iuaho ~prin~s indors v,hcat. was colltacted to obtain further inJ'or~-:ia"tion. T:!c i:lfor~a.tion r r;-1uested in su'Jparasraphs of po.ra~raph 1, fir:Jt indorseuent, is as follows: ated that due to the altitude of the \'{as ha.ru for him to deterr:1i:.1e tbe sha.?e, he believed they wore disc shaped. l.b. -Tile objects fle\t directly overhead and .1t an estir.w.ted altitude of 20,000 feet as ~iven in the original report. l.c. -There was no evide.:1ce of a:r"ly tra.i 1 or exhaust l.d. -The objects flew in a comparatively strai:;ht li!1.e -.vith the exception of the oscillation oi' ~he rear echelon as described in the original re~ort l.e.-lio. Due to the maneuvers, it varied sliGhtly. 3. 'rii th reference to paragraph 2, first indorsement, there are !lo aerial research a~ncies in the vicinity of Tio~a, Colorado. 7he only educational institutions of any size in the nearby vicinity are Pueblo Junior College and Trinidad Junior College. and neither engage in any of this type of work. J. SL.:IBZRT ' jor, U~A.F """"istrict Comi:l~lder IICIUS JIC IA XS/UWt/ Al!C Dr. George E. Valley, Jr. I The Doolittle Ranoh Springe, Colorado Dear Dr. Valleyt fhia Headquarters baa. beon ~quested to notify you ot aey Project Grudge (tormerly Sign) activity in the Denver. Colorado area between 1 15 September 19l9 e; !~ 1noloaed 14th Disiriot, Oftioe of Speotal atigationa, z-.port, dated 13 June 1949, File No. 24-33. ia forwarded tor your 1ntor- mat1on and oorllllent Aa additional 1ntor*t1on 11 being requeated ot the 14th Diatriot, OSI, that a,.noy haa been aek8d to oontaot you 1n order to determine your requirement in th~a matter, prior to any i'urther 1nveatigat1on ot thia inoident. ; !hla Headquarter would welcome ny comrnta or reoo-ndationa you 7 oare to mab regarding this 1Doident. 1 Inola ~ ~ .l. J BEMSTBEET, JR. Lt Colonel, USAF Aoti%1 Chie t Ane1 lyaia Dl Yia1011 Jatellicenoe Department UNC\ .ss~r-lE'D '1"'\ C<-. A r RrFERr'JC,.... LETTFl) voJr ':) . CO~-.JTINENTAL AIR C0['1NA~D THIS DATE FOR HIS ACTIO PL' Sic~:zD CHARLES SOMMERS COLONEL USAF DISTRICT COMMANDER 2D OSI. UNCL.~ ,_sg:-~ED INCIDEt.ri' NO. 1. Do.te of Observation CJ Jut~e 19h~ Date of IntervitJw 10 June 191+9 2. Exact Time (local) Between 1400-1500 3 Place of Observation 10 ilea West 'l'ioca, Color!ldo 31 -4'3 !"orth 105 10 .sst 4. Position of observer Uround 5 Yllia.t attracted attention to object 6. Number of objects 5 in 2 uohelons in tr ian::ulo.r JXl tt~r:n. 1. Apparent size 2 tt. d1atnl81itlr at diatanoe. g. Colo~ of object 10. Altitude 11. Direction from observer West 12. Distance from observer 13. Direction of flight of object(s) Southwest to !~orth Easter-nly (30.35) 14. Time in sight 15 eeoonda ;oo-&>o MPH 16. Sound and odor lg. Luminosity 19. Projections 20. Maneuvers 21. Manner of disappearanco Faded trom view in oloud 22. Effect on Clouds Jon. 23. Additional informntion concerning objoct 24. "fleathor Conditions tter.4o~roaat 5.000 teet lJNCLASSif\SD addr0ss of obsurver a Fann Har1d Ocoup~tiftr~ 'h~b Considered to be reliable and level-hoariad. Inoide l).t P.c. Jox 07. Comments of Interrogator rolativo te intclligoncu and char3.cto r of observcr(s) 1 CONTROL NO 8Ua.IKCTt f'fil er~t.tiAL I'U.K NO.--- I'OLLOW U~ ON PzagjeCt. GalJDGI ""OM! ~ AF PFO DATKD 7 14 49 TO: lAXS No. INCLS. ROUTED TO SUSPI'ENSE DATE ESTABLISHED BY (INITIALS DATK 01' IIIIPL.Y OTHER DI8PI'OSITION: TRAN.MITTAL AMC: rCNIM 110. 10 I 8KK OTH&IIt 810& POll II&MAIIK8 UNCLASSIFIED Subj: Unadentitied Flying Objects b. Faded i'rom. view: Yes c. Disappeared behind obstacle: No RELATIVE TO THE OBSERVER 1. Name o Observer: 1st 2. Fort Devens. Massachusetts 3. Occupation: U3.AF 4. Place of Business: UL~ 5. Hobbies: Not applicable 6. Ability to determine: Unknown 7. Reliability of observer: 1-lo opinion a. Notes relative to observer on a. Sighting& in general: l~one b. How attention was dra:-wxl to ob jeots: Directly in flight path. (1) S otmd: Unknown (2) Motion: Stationary (3) Glint or light: Glint of light on canopy. 9. Wi.tneasea: 10. Comments or interrogator re intelligence and character ot person interrogated: No opinion BELA.TIVE TO RADAR S IGRTIR:iS 1. Re radars now operating on grotmd: llo radar sightinca. 2. It airborne. when object was sighted: Not applicable ~DOWNGRADED. AT 3 Y~.A~ IN'flp1-: .. :' nECLASSIFIEn AF1 : .TI 1~ ) E. A : .... UJNCU--\SSJFIEO Subj: Unadentii'ied Flying Objects UNCLASSlFlED 1. Teletype sequences of local weather conditions: 2. l"linds aloft report: Not given . 3. Local flight schedules of COJiirtereia.l, private and military aircraft flying in vicinity at the time: Unknown. 4. Poasibili ty releases of testing devices in vicinity sent aloft by Ordnance, Navy, Air Foree, Army, 'ITeather Units, Research Organizations or any other: Unknown s. If object contacted earch, obtain soil sampled within and without depression or spot where object landed ror purposes of mak- in& comparison or soils: Unknown. 6. If object came sufficiently near other aircratt or known objects. check surfaces with Geiger cotmter~ for possible radio- activity. Uake comparisons with other unaffected aircraft objects~ a. Hot obta1Dede 9. Cbtain fragments or DISTRIB 1Jl ION: oo 1 Chief' or Staff', Hq WAF cal evidence whare possible: None COJtiD&nding UNCLASSIFIED IIIADQUAmn UIITtD STAT!:. All FOICI Til IISP!CTOI IKIEIAL OPPICI 0' SPECIAL IIYISTIIATIOIS REPORT OF IIIYESTIGATIOII fl'l Ll NO. RE,OitT MADE IY ttE,OitT MAO AT OF,IC 0, OtttGIN 7 'TJTT"r R[fi'UENC Te1eoho.1e co.ll, .A.-2, Intell i:"ence, :-rea:!:..~uarters 15th Air .?orce, lJ June 1949 Inves ti ..;-tion Has i rd tiated at t h e r equest of Col P . D. :.Y~T:~E, _ eputy Ghi3f o!" Stai'f, Intellii;ence, Eeo.dquartor s :,if'tee .. lth J.ir :~orce, Col oraC:o Sprin~ s, Coloro.do, whc o.n 10 June 1949 advised the writer t'-lat helad received ini'ormation tha t o. fli:~ht of unidentified aerial objects ,-:-1.:::::-e observed by an employee of ~dr C. . B.~:.TT/i;I'T in the vi t:!ini ty of :ralsenbur~, Colorado, d .lrinr the afternoon of 9 June 194~. Investiz;o.ti::n revealsd that a j:,i Post ufi'ice Tiot;a, ColorE:.c].o, emplo~{ed a s a fc.rt1 he.nd by r , had si.:;hted fi". e un- identified objects flyin in for.natio:1 at a~)proximately 20,000 feet in a nortneu.sterly direction at a speed estimated to be b etv1eon ':. ve u .:d six hundr~d miles p:'7r !'lour. The objects were flyin~ in two echelo~1s -t11o flyin.:; parallel to each other fo1l ow.ed b y t :1ree rrore ::":.i c h cha:.lt:cd positicn i!l rel..ltion to the tvJo fron t objects by goi l'r o:-:: ri_;ht to left and bac1: behind the lead oi_:~jects. The objects v:~re in si ~ht for an estimated firteen seco~ds. ~xte!lsive inv-:=st:.c;:;..tion in the vicinit~,. of Tioga, Jardner and .:-alsenburg , Colora d o failed to reveu.l a...~y o~her witnesses to the incident. IJ.GU lh l~ c.J- D IS T R II UT I ON ACTfON CO'Y ,ORWARD0 TO fe&.tterso:t J~:'B Director of Intelligence, .'iright-Patterson A.""B, Al'Tti : r.~crz:~o-:s L. J. SZID~lT, rtajor, U3AF IIITIICT CONMAIDEI lrNClASSIFlE~ AFCSI FORM 1. This invo:.::ti.;::..tion wu.s req.tested b:t Col [". D. :~Yi\-~8, ;~e2uty Ghi cf' of Jtai'f, In~lli,.:enc9, ~ ieacqus..rterD ifi fteent :1 .'...ir .:orce , Coloru.do J~ri:1 f;, :~olcr-:5o, w~1o at a.t.1pro:':in~:~ely 1 0 30 h c ur s , 1~ June 19}.' v~r'.JG.lly advised the :)o~ .. ~.c\:-:lO:lt Co!::ma.."'l.der, I~1VD!.iti:~tive .~etachment, l~th O~I 0is~rict (IG) thut '1e had r:~coiv;d a report t!~ t five unidentified objects h;... :: be8u sl..;hted b y an erllployce of .. r C. ~Y. 3.Arl :''i.' i n t1 vicinity of .. i.lse:lburg, Colorac.o duri::1:_-t he e:.i't erno)n of . A.T T IOCi.., COLO:t .::>o 2. At approxL11ately 1830 hours, ;.:::sT, l J June 1949 t h0 write r contact~d i.'ir a.nd ~.::rs C. -~:. 3A.:.~TLET T, T io 2;0., Colorado i n ~heir home (located o:--. Colora..: o tate :iiit:;~wa.y 69) appro::i ma -:ely ten mil e s west of ':'io3a a.nd 8 miles east of ardner, ~olorc:..do. l:r !3 _.: TL-::'T stated th a~ a far:;! hc.nd o~ !1i s had told hir.l ~he prece e S.inc:; cveni~1g that ~1'3 l1 ... d s i.::;~ted five ov~ 3!1ap1:3d objects flyint; L"l a no::--t hee.sterly direction durin the afternoon. L r had never see:1 al"ly a.erial object th~t r eae:ubled ti1o ol:.es h~-sus. ~:1c wa s ~ 0 '.1C - w1at concerne d about them. i lr n t~ lep: o!'lically a dvised the a ut horities at Lo~Jry .ir Force 3ase, Denver, Colorado o~ ti.1e aitua-l;ion. 3. On_lO June 1949 at approximately .2000 hours, J~T, }jr farm hand , was inte ed with reg u.rd to the o bjects he h a d s i ted t t. e ceedint; da; . r sts.ted that sometime b e t ::een two and three p . m. (14~0 and 1!300 >.J.~. on ~) 1 had l,)een working in a fiel:i ;.bout a mile and a h,~1.r sout~1 of' horne . Due to the scattered overcast a:1d the possibility ol' ru.:.:1, :1e he.d 61anced at the clouds t o see i f it mi:ht ra;.n . ~.'hen he lo"ked he ~1oticed five objects, round in shap~, flying at a "::lout 2J , ,JQO feet to.1arcs the .~.ort:1. Because he had nev e r see::.1 a.n a-:::rial o~)ject like t:te O'!!es ne was obse!"vi::-1~, h~ watct1ed them until they wer e out oi.' s i ght. 11e stimated that they were f lying at about five to six hundred rr::.l e s per hour. They were in o. for.nation of two e chelo~s with tr;o objects f l yin::-parall e 1 to each other in front. '.i'he remainins t~1ree objects wer e to t~.e l eft ~1d :-eC!.r or' the two front obj0cts and were formed i n a triangular formc~tion. The f'l i :-ht was at cloud leve 1 and flew in and out of the clouds. He not ice d thu:t the r e ur echelo~1 Moved bac:( nnd _"orth in the rear of the fro~t echelon. He 'J.Ia tched them for approxir1ately fifteen seconds when they fle\v out of his sight in the clouds. stimated tha t at the time of sicht~g they were at about a sixty to seventy e;:-;ree a..."l~le from the horizon froi:l h i m and were t o the wt;>.~ t of him. He estimated their altitude to be 20,00~ feet statin~ thtit he fiGured this altitude \':hen they fle w over Greenhorn Feak which is about 13,000 f o e t in altitude. ( Greeuhorn Pea k is located al:nost due north of the place of si~hting and is 1233 4 fee t in altitude) The objects were estimated to be about two feet in diameter ared to be perfectly round in shape. They were brown in color. l1::r a ted tho.t they were about the size he would think an AT-6 aircraft would be. Their direction of h was from the southwest to t he :1ortheast. Due to the altitude, wa~ unable to detennine their means of propulsion or support. There was no evidence of any liGhts or exhaust. l~s could not tell anythin6 about the c onstruction of UNCLASSIFIED t~e objects. C:no t;hin: h n noticed was the lack oi' any sound i"rol! the obje ct:>. rhe ooject~ 4 ... 1 ::in and cut of the cloudJ v;ith no appa.~ont effect on the clo.1ds. ~ tir.1~s t !1ey were hidden rom ~is view and \'Juuld then raa ol' ti18ia .-1:1 1 the:r i'inally : c..deri fro:-n view i;1 t:.e clour:s . : . for 1 0 d the i nt ervlr.!".'Jin.; El.;ient the.-!; he w.c! so~vcd i:1 the U!lited .:.>t:..'~es .:'.i:-orce :.'c r a period or aL)pro:-:imatel.:~ f o r y ec.rs. ;urin: cha~ time h) 'v'.rorked. .Ln the C-.. acity of aircrt.d't me c:1a::.ic for t hree a:1d on e iul.lf y 0 ars. be s t :. ted th:.. t hac! t~18 objects been similo.r to any st~;..:1durJ aircraft, h e ould havf! pai d lit~l3 o r :10 Concerni:l:_: "t':1e Observer I Inte rviev:s 1.'!Cre held ';'J i th j.!r anc .. ~r~ r_;. . ; l.rr FL:D i.l. PADDCC?.:, Chief Clerk, Colorado Fue l a.nd Iron Coal ; i e , Tioga., Colorado and .:lr CL.1.:.JDZ SdiFT, Sheriff, Huerfano County, ~:alsen::,urg, Colorado on 1 :' a-.,d 11 Ju..Yle 1949 to determine individual ; -\11 were e:nphatic in their statement thut a r s considered to b e a. very l evel h eaded individual who sel::lorr. if e carr.e excited.. !:.r 3:~-.t?.!IB':'T stated that even when told hi:-1 of the o1_:.jects he snowed no out".larcl exciter.1enb. During dinner with the BA!'lT!ETTS and .. .:r l1e i:1v est:s..ting; a gent had opport~lity to observe :ir for c.bo"..lt two hours and v1as i:-:-~pr...,ssed by his calr.lness and ability to oJsc rve details. 5. The Terrain: 'fhe terrain in the vici!li ty of hilly being in the foot hills oi' the San:;r e de Christo be:int; approxb.a.te ly 10 mile s south of the ./e t i.:oun ;;a in the si~htin6 is extremely ra...'l'le of nount.!.:..ins and 6. On 11 June 1949 attempts were made to locate othe r individuals in the vici~i ty oi' '.i:io:::;u. and CL rdner, Colorado who mi~ht have seen the unide!ltified objects. These atte:.:pts met with negative results. AT ?TJZBLC, CO LC::LJ)Q 7. At approximately 1130 h ours, l:ST, 11 June 1949 e.n interview wc.s held with Mr 0::1VILLS :?GSTE~, Observational Supervisor, US ;;eather ..;ureau, :.!unicipal Airport, ?ueblo, Colorado in an attempt t:> u.scertu.in the weather conditio:-1s in the vicinity of Tioga at the time o~ the sibhtins . ~ check of the reports revealed tha t around Pueblo (ap~roximately forty-five miles northwast of the place oi' sighting) t here was broken sky at 5000 fe~t wi.th interni+:tant r?;.Yl showers durin~ the afternoon. This report indicates cloud level 5080 ft above surface which. at place of sighting is approximately 7000 a oove sea level, making the cloud surface at approximately E, 000 feet. -,Winds aloft were north