Dr. P..obinson observed that in the caoc of this fl1.ght, an :l.rregularlj shaped yellot-r light appeared in the rear. Tho i'orn.a.t ion inC'J.udod dark diffuse area~, and tho arc i tscl quivered or pulsated in the diroction of its cr a.vel . l.!.ach or)jcvt lmd an angular manit 1de that uoulii te tbo equivalent of 12 incl es ncr'Os ... nt a diatanoo of .30 or 40 feet, and in violent ngj.ta.tion . 1-:as the firat siehting that " ~ e:tnenw.n, yho hc.d been skopt:iCE1:l about the whole thing, liJado. l'Lc. sighting 1uc Go l0\1 anc! so apoctaculfir that t e ua.s really JOlted, and nppe.rontly ahO\JOd l t , "or tre "rOUT> j okingly dubl ed it Heine!:li:.l.n' o Forro:r". 1'he flight llld tho appearance of a. gt'Oup of' 1 2 to 1; pale objectu in tho ::;hape of ~ua.C.rnnt of n c.1.rcla, .,. rc(~ucing a pule-yello~ blinking light anu roving noisolosaly. The profeszors claim 12 off:t.ci.11J sightincs. " This is their ot'""' tern, as they t<:ould ~1t rocognize uny zighting tho.t vre.s not tdtneosecl by at least wo or their group. They do llOt CO.!Lpletoly ..lOc.ept the photographs taken by Carl Hart, nnd state that, lmd thoy felt H J:'OOsible l:OuJd 'lnve ma<...o every effort to tt.kc phototTnrhs tho":tSol ves, but thut the objecto moved tvo fast. They have aloo taken into c.o:.wid.er:.:' im th'3 norial activity that was taking plt.cc c vm the S'W Unite Statos nt :.ha:t t:l.n:.e -tho much publicized Graon Fireballs". They atte!!:ptod to tie up tLc tv.o, but could find no association l>ot\.een the fireballs and the nyizlg objects that they had s een. ((How grcon are the fireballs?)) ( (Tho reported graon f:lreba1lc that flashed U<"'.XOSS tbo skies of SW United States i n great numbcr3 ~uring 19~C, '49, end 50 ~re still a ~ttor or gt~at conjecture. 'l'hcy tJere tlo .1.ght by son:.c scientists to be nrJteors. Dl. J . Ks.plan of the Scient:li'ic Advioory Poard is one such ocientie t Lli y_ual.if'ied h I o bolicu'' tiThe daytime 'fireball t j_ncid.ents ero COlrq>l~;;teJy baf'fling. Ho motoor lJOuld uetsisi: i'or a.r. J.ong un tb:!rt:r minut;os. liOTE:: Tb~ cfuy-CJimO incideni of 2? l'arch 19/t-9 la~tad more tr ...... n ha.lr ~ n our. Thio duration is mch longer than ~r recorded genuine meteoric J.ncidont . ) The characteristics of the noctt1:rnal green fireballs, of rcla.t.ivoly t.he aame hoiaht and r..a.ving no ~ound, ure or:oerJ uhich aro diffiCl:!.l~ t<; oba..,rv~;> lrl thout Vt'3rJT careful irwtruoontat.5.on a.n to their (heie t.) . ) ) ( (Lr. Lincoln La Paz, d.il.ector of the Iru~tituto of lfutcoritos; Univer .. sity of tlow Uax:ico, Albuquerque, made a. cor_q->rehensivc atudy of the f'ir abll.l.l s nnd f'elt that they yore not DX)tooi:.. Dr. !a Paz otateds nt~st or the rcporto of 'greon :f.:ixebolls r otate that they appear w -:rovo in horizontal. paths, throughout ita ontire extent, to the plaoo of the torizon. Such por.oistent:. horizontal! ty ataudo :.Ln the sho.rpest contr:1~t to tho c1olimlar\Uy (."Onco.v~ patha travoraed by genuine meteorite.::, \rlhon these penetrato doepl.y into tho ct!rcsphc!'e of tl1o earth. ) ) {(" n tile ea:;e of genuine !tetcorite faJ.l~, uith ltmdnous puth~ torci.no:L- ing even at. heights comdderably g::cator than those a.t thich the re l r- of the graen .f'irebaJ~s are situated, tho observed lum:tnoUD phenorr.ona ar ahrnys accompanied by roctrcordinariJ.y violent nois( .... .o noi:;etJ \7hatc"Je~" have been observed in connection uith any ono of tho !lor1zontnlly- iJOving grean fireballo.)) ( ( n~ be anor11lous greenish luJJinous phonom 0.'1. sl ow c ioun UGS ciution .rit.h 101ell-knnnl r::etoor s! oror3, although none of U oae r.nntU!l z:: t or shot era no:rn."lJly produce extreooly brleht ~"'leon fi.rcbn.lls. T.l e :rela.t1onship ~ited might indicate a.n attempt. to render the groen f'ireballo less ccnspic:m.ons by causing th<!lm to uppon1 only Yhcn there 1::; a h.."lc'kground of conoidorabl o lwt'l.n"al meteoric activity. ")) Now "Blue P.ook" ~'ho stue\,v of uru.dentified. ae!ial objocto b-.f the JSA ' ':'D.B fi:rst assigned tho nv.mo of Project Sign; "thin ,,rna lnter chani.;)ed -t.o Project Grudge; recE:ntly the :n.a.tlC 1 roject mlle r .ook bar. been assigned to 1t,. In order to ourrort Projac"t Blue 1'-cok, several cvnferenceEI bnve been held l-r.lt !!!embers of s. research organization. The hiehly qun.lifiod J:Jombors of this orguniza- tion rc ~1ven access to the u~AF filos on the projcc~. After a atut~ or the i!Iformation available, they decided that there are enough roport.~ tllc..t cunnot be explained to warrant !?. detailed invest1ent:Jon. SeveraJ. other engineere and floiontists have boon (-ont Lcted and their opinions are much Sti11 they fly And eo tho urddenLifiod llerial objects remain in tbe 1eaJ m of the 1(1onti.fied . There l 'el'Ilain practioa]]y ca: d. CUU'!:">B of op.:.nion: thooe ,._mo soy it is a] J oilly vitch-huntingJ those who keep c.n open F.Jind; and tho so who will fight tc tho de3.th to def"ond the validity of "those th1r '"Pc that fl_y. n The e.run.rer, if ther9 is one, \ri] 1 evontunJJ.y na.teria.li;e ~ and 'be v Ul not be caught na.ppinc. Unt:tl tha-t time, it p nee itsolf "~n t. o "opttn mind" category. F:ty1ng pie-pan UAO hoaxes have been aJ moat oon-existent in rece "<., ., eo.rs, but Air Force files stiJJ contain recorw:; o! oome of the early llon.xea. A typical incident took plaoo in Shrevoport, Louisiana, in July 1947. The papcra ple.yod tho story big, and it \1nG a tuo-My senation. Hr. H---- Shrevdport , decided that he uould atop by a used-ear lot on his v:a:y lome from W'Ork and try to find a bargain car. As he stood loold.Il(' over tho prospects, he heard a loud t-mirring tmd, looking up, saw a bright, oilvc11" disc, which appeared to him to be spittine fire and GrlOko. It dropped, with a crash, in the street. Ha rushed over, retrieved t~6 object, then eontaotod Borksdnl~ AFB. The thing wv.o crudely rr.ade and co obviously a hoax thc.:.t Barksda.le personnel tvere able to thank Mr. U----and aooure hilll that it \/US t he 1;ork of a practical joker. The next. day a vary red-faced gentlc1'"an admitted that he yas tho ttakor of the aa.ucer. He vas 01D.T lo7ecl by an eloctrice~ fir:n "Whoso building uas noo..-t door to tbe nsed-ear lot. The sauccr-mnkor had planned the epi sode as a joko to bo played on his boss. He ~ad launched the thing from the roof or the bui J ding and, truo to plan, J.. t :bad actna1 ly lo.nded near his ermloyor s ear. The pay-off lorao that his boss paid no attention to it, but lh-. H--did end tho joko bac.kfixcd. IS THI8.E A SlliPLE, 1 ~TURAL EX:PUuiATION? Astronomirol, meteorological, and li[jlt pheooDOnat or sil:Iply failure o observers to r"'coo;nizG f'cmU.ior objects in tho oir i'OJ7 \That the;r l'Ca.lly are, my cxplnin m:u:ty reported UAO oightinga. I t i s midnight. A luminous bocy, seemincly ns bright a a tho sun, strealas across the ak;y. It emits sparks o.nd pu.f.'f's of SMOke, and tro:ils yhat appears to bo a long, fiery oxha.UGt. Tho object then disappears with a series of fiashea, and, ohortJ.y after a fenrf'ul roar and earth- shaking explosions arG hoord. Op.ly one DJlll witnosses this event. Never ha~ observed anyth1Dg eo avo3oma in tho eldea bof'ore, he is convinced thet he must have seen en interplanetcry' spa.co elrlp. Porllapa he .ho.e . It 'tdll nov.n be posai:U.e to eey vith absolute cer- tainty that he c:J.rmot have ocen an extra.-torroatial vehicle. Thoro e .. ra m other "tdtnessea to t.lle incident and, therefore, by ~ho rules of efic.ence, m ono coll~ ;etont to controvert coucluaivoly Ids conviction that he bas seen spaco -r.rawloro i n trausit. Ghttnce:s are, however, if he \tme :r.x>ro f'anrlliar tdth ast~oomicsl phenozrJ:ma, he ould idont.if'y his UAO l"3 a reorc conventional viaitor .frou spaoo -n notcorite. l-rua.t he h."is aeon and hoard ll ioo ve1~y cloaGJ.y ui t.h the frequently o bsorved und startling phell()!:lSna of light and sound that often llCCOmpaey tho faJ~ o2 meteorites. Over 100 rnjJlion neteors fall daily Ono hundred mj 11 ion or more IilStOOJ.~a CO! e l~acing into tha oa.rtn t 3 at!oosphcrc da ;i Jy at s peeds of 100, OOC rr..il.es per hour, to t1eot their doom under the f or ce and tr9Ill0ndoua trictio1;.nl resistenco encountorod c.t such volocitio~. Those uhich partly survive the riction oi tho earth' s a.tn:oDphore and fall t.o the ground, froquently \lith tho startliDg light and sound effects reported by our observer, are ca11od meteorites. UnusooJJy brillicnt metcor8 are eaJJ.ed. firebslla. These often leave 1'UI:l1nouo trnina that rw:y persist a.s long ao an hour o.ftor tho .fireball itself has disa.p1,osrad. Da.yllrrht meteors frequently do not e.pponr luminous, but do loavo n traU, often no noise is heard. Sometimos meteors explode in mid-a.ir. Thtlso are ca1lod bolides. Of the ooteors wich ftlll c"~nily, a. bout 25 m:f l lion ore visible to th~ naked oye, nost of then appearilJFl as the i'mnil1ar "shooting stars" that occasionally dart across tho aky a.t night. Yet very felt of thcce are ever found . for it is rrobable tl't.n.t roat J"leteors are a body !X> le..rt'l'or than a pinheP.d. One 110 larror than c. golf bo.ll l'VlY appear n3 bright as tho fu.l.l t'1Qon. Swll -wonder, then that meteors and t."loir d~rlvati,ros t31..'!L'E1St thGI:J.- oelves as likoly cxplc.nations of mny UAO sight1l1g:J. her astrononicaJ phonooonon which '!!JAY provide an ansuer to nome of those sightines is the recurrent brilliancE' of our nenroot planet, the fartlli e.r r.orning and evening star - -the planet Venus. It outshines nl) celestial bodies except the s'Wl ancl the l'Joon, nnd, near tho time a oi" its greates t brilliancy, it ia plainly visible to the nriked eyo even at midday, whon attention is clirectoc, t,o it. It outshines Sirius, the brighte::~t sto.r by fifteen tines. Venu.'>, uhen as bright ,.s thio, and shining through interstices in the clouds, could easily give the effect of" a flemii'..I! objtJct trl.th a tail -a c escriotion cl"tured in tnany UAO rep01~"ts. So could Hcrcury, or tho rod planl3t lms. Scientifi c anal ysio of all UAO r e ... "'orts received to dnte indicates that allr.ost IJJ% may be attributed to failure of the oboervcr, fot ono reason or c.nothor to idonti.i'y such c.otron.om:ical. phonomona. Addi tiona.J a.etr.onomica.l end other phcnonena of the ok:lcc.; uhich rrJDY be inch1.ded in this ca.te cror:r, o.lthough, at rJOat, they cu::plain only an occasioool sighting are: l) zoili a cal liE!'ht (tho t;lo\1 along tho zod:i.ac of sur~i ~t l'eflectou b,y netcortc oo.terial); 2) oodiacaJ. light.' s co\mtereJ_oll, knovm ua gogonachoinJ 3 ) the ghostly b eon:s and curtains of lig.~t of the aurort.. boro0lis :111d g.uro.ra oust r ol 1s, seldom seen in our l ti tudes, but which arc COrill'lD~ enough nes.r tbe roagnati.! pol co; 4) illusory ef'fects of clouds and light in connectum with such t"amiliar celcst !PJ. bodies as the sun nud the r..oon; and ; ) all l1ghten1ng. ster1ous about rnacy UAOa Another 35~ of UAO sight:h~gs IilllY be attributed to zr..iointerpretat.:on of objects no raore eyetorioue than weather bPLoo!'.!3, L ircratt., t.llC evon COii!!:JOn- place things like birds a.n '\1:'.rul-borne bitC) o .... pt:.pcr. ~.11 noriODJ, intC'lli- ("I nt :;?COplc from time 'tO time m:J sUike SOE.e 'L!Ore or lees f~Jmil1Jr ""bjeot for another object. These e rrors arise chiefly -rr01 .. inabilicy to os1.imute size, apocd, and distance. It io not JA):Jeiblc ~...o estimate a.cc1..1.1atoly such clta.racteristica or f).nall bright objects against tl .. e elcy" 1,mJe;;o the object is .first ~ centified. This is cloubly t:..'UfJ at night. S .. -..U. objects may occa.siona.llj be borne to great heiehts bJ otrong winds. It wuld be it1- possible to estj Jr.ate the cJists.nce, size, a.nd SJleccl of such objects, and it would be easy to fai l to recognize t.l am. Tho test guesses as to tho non-astrononical objects vh1cl! elJ.cit ~any U!{O l' C")orts include reflections oi tlte sun frozn diatant a..1 rcra1 t , tunniru.; lights on aircraft, searchlights on clouas, flares, nnd the pre- vic usly ment:lone d wind-uorne o bj o cts. J:lcc t Gttea s of aJ 1 in tlli e co. teeoT1J, :roucver, is 'OO.lloons --1euther) .rcue(l.rch, and evet. old-i'9.allioned carnivaL i.-:>re t ba.n 101 of UAO reports rray rcasomblj t,e put (,Ol 1 to balloono w~:d.ch are rolooaed on '"Outine oynoptic as co 1ts by tbe Ai.r ~P.athor Service, the Navy Aerological Sol'Vice, o1 t1:c United States ~oa.ther Buroou. In addition, U. s. 1'\:ril:w un'lt.s ana other public and private in..,.titutior!s, such as unlversitJ.es, nuti~ vJCa.thor balloon o~servnt2onu. ?ibals a.re released f'or obeervo.tion of' 'IJinCs t:J.oft at aL":''..oat every airport in the United States that ho.s rogulLr m1litary nnd airline trnff'i(;. They riso at about 600 <Peet. nor minute, and l:.ocaLLBe o"' their compa.re.tivcly sr:.all size, just .30 inches in cianeter, they o.re c iffi cult to sec abov~ f'eet. Therefore, they probably account for only a few U~\0 aightings . RAOB3 look like discs at 85,000 feet lJOre likely stimuli to UAO reports are ... nat'MDUent .. carrying balloons - :rauinsonde and radiosondo (1.AOOO). RAOES are six f"eei in di.aootor a t release, but they inflate to twenty to tt-Jenty-.fi vc feet boforo tl,oy U'l.rl t t a.l ti tude a ranglng up to S.O.OOO feet. I f l-teathor coru.1itioru:: a~o ideal, tho:t can be saon 1dtr the e~ eyo at altitudes up to 85, 000 ~ae. A r}in altitude, they can definite~y t~ke on the uppeare.ncc. o~ Oying c:isco. All the aitcs !n tho Unit6d Sta.tea vl ere scheduled instrll!!~ont ba.lloon rnleuses are t'l!lc.1e are shol-m on ths :rn.'lp OJl page --- RAOfG carry lightu at. niG 1 fact \Jhich ~ account for so:.:1.v instances ulen pilots atte ![)ted to Clhlse UAOo during hours of dnrknes~. Such conditions could hvve prouucod a loss of orientation on thtJ po.rt ot t.ho observer. !bvomont is al\OJS relo.tive. If tho only outeido roint o1 rofercnca is a point of lirl t , D.nd both tho objE}ct and the oboerver are I:ov1ng, it is pl'dct~ clly hipoatJiblc for 1he observer to separate tho t1:o ot:lonc. It, is cliffic.ut e-nough to fly a f.Ood pmsuit curvG on another air or 1ft in bror r dllyl:!.ght, "'or cmn."nple, lot alor.e to C'~oso on a ooli to..ry .G'OV:lllg lirbt at night. !. ""ot or type of balloo1 figurir.g in t.be UAO picture i~ the kind used in connect 1on rlth 'Project Skrhook. These 'l.ro:irc. plan tic bags, uhich sccna. to heights oi' over lOO, OCOfeot, arc shoun in tllJ rhoto at rigbt;. ~.i'he;y aro flown fro~ nobile launchi n r~lastod to float. nt :f'ixed altitudes, tb~ carry rucio txnru:;mittor3 so th .... t t l ey rooy bo tracked ~ J!'CO.l'l..D cf very-b:teh-frequenc.-'Y di1ec C.ion-finclil"'..g equip- mont 'or the dur tion of their flieht over the n:ttod States, or unt:U oitller tboil bnllo.et or thcil' r:at.te:-ies c:.rc e ended. Houever, t.1 esc:: eo vell s the less specto.cular bnllooro, :may be lost ll!1d vin~ up in tl1e UAO It has been sueGeatod th t : o e U.t.Os, cs ecU,~ 1y tho:::v uhere the ob..,ect m.s dCSC'!'i'tcd as c gt.!X- s c.ped, A.'lif:l t u.ctu1:1lly bo guit od missiles. This e.ppeara to be nn lhJ..1ikoly explo.no.tion. These mit.siles arc la.uncbt~d at only three loeatio:ns t!U'Ol ghout t. o nitcf Stutess 1) Point l:rugu. no!:th of ws Angelea,. Colj ..... ; '"') ln1ite Se.nos, :t:.ia. ; anC. 3) Patrick .AFB, Cocoa, Fla. Firing is conducted out to eca and over controll~d test ranges. Since aJ~ u.nauthorized persons are ohooed out of the area., there would 1 o no on'-' l1kely to tt~n in n UAO report. Arter elim1nating UAO ai~ht3nas attributable to tho astrono~icil and tho r..on- a stronomic..ti phenor.1em consioerca in thio article, torether with the ho:.l.XOa, c1iaous3ed on pe.go - ---' plus tl ose reports l.."l.ckine ::n'!ffic- iont evicence for invostieai.,ion --after all thio a: p!'Ox:i.J t.elj 15~ of U.AO sightings yemnin bonn fide UAOs. Thut is, tl,o evidence suggests no ready explanation. Trick or temperature -inveroion and refraction? One possible e::mlanation han been e.r vanc-od by tho llw.-ro.rd cstroph.ysic- 'i.rized bJ 'lime, June 9 , 19,:-;-, 1 54-56, t'to l~o nel of Dr. "cnze..l' s ~othc~3is follom:; : "Nor~mJ.ly, tho a t!."'Isphcre grovs cooler a oJ. ti tudf.: i:'lcrensoo, bm .. unde~' some conditio.w it Iw:y contain lcye1s of 'WUl' air 1..., t.h cold a.ir belov then. Those <J.re cn.lled inver~ions.' They occur in oJ:t cli.lJ"~tcs but o.re commonest in deserts, Yhore both th') ground and the e.h get very hot in doy- As soon as the sun sets, tho ~ound cools of'f, radiating its v rr..a.th into the sky. The njr for a feu f'oet up grOlfS cool ~ co:1ta.ct tJith the oool earth b1.1t the a:1r 1:~ little higher stayo wcrm. Thowrme.ir overhead turns ( 0~nn.rnrd tl'e light fro!'l bright objects, such as street light..o or o.uto headlanpe. Te~eraturo inversion arP.l rei'rnctiorl, as pl'O""OUildod by hr. ~'enzel, is frunilia.l' to nost of us as moto:riots tmen e SQO tlle rn:lrago ur.ich looks liko shining lm.ter in the road ahecd. Ot.ler in,eroions occur when a warm lo.yer of air hangs sevoM~ thousond feet ll!) A pilot f'lying just above thio DRAFT OF /.H.'l'lCL l'OH A UGIIS'C Al1t H 'I'gLl,ICIJ.~. CE Dlli S'r # \ ((It i.s s uPce sted that . ~ t he art.lcle m order items inclosed Ln double parenthesis be omitted from Lhat it, Iili.ght b~ declassified from r~stricted to un- .anner t he arti.ole coul d be used as pres s release ~ -~ 4 .Y class tried. In th:ts ,o.. if necessary. ) ) No r ecognition manual prints the picture of a bli.nr i.nm ~rPJo.t"lge lig~ r a of thes ~ i!11l!'C'e fl. Lu!?; < bjects L\T 'f 110 hL IE YOtJJJER w}urling disc, yet reports of the sighti nrs come in \dth increasing regQlarity. ttany t imes in recent months, the questlon has >een asked: the U-., ,}<' renewed its interes t in unide ntified aerial objects? " 'l'he pro- ject vla:J d.ro.;pe d as a special priority project Ln 1949, but i t has c on - ti.nued stnce the n as a normal intelLL e nce funct ton . U >i.'F' intellif-ence has nothing to sell except facts, and to t)in down the facts in th.is matter is l i ke pinning down Kllroy It i.s ,.ulte understandable why a rreat rnany people t a ke a dim view of the study of"flying saucers". The whole s nbject i.s so fantastic that anyone studying the pattern of the reports receive d by the lJSAI' soon finds himself in an atmosphere of " Alice in .onderland f a ntaSJ'. And y e t , facts do exist: reports are c o ~ing in wi. t h lncreasing freq u.e ncy , and the p e r s ons ivho see these objects are s1..ncere and tn nost cases rn.at .rre and c ompete 1t people. The si.ghters are, pe nerally spea" lnr , couvinced beyond t he shadow of a doubt that what th~y have seen is real. lowever, they are sometimes sensitive about discussing t he matter, for fear of beint; thought to be off their r ocker . This regrettabl