PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD CONCLUSIONS 2.. LOCATION 3. CIATc-TI~'AE :.?.~ ;? 14. TYPe OF C. . .:iEHVA-riON C: Ground Vi Sllal , 0 Ground-Radar o Ai~y,,.uol 0 Air-Intercept Rador 7. LENGTH 0~ :SSERVATION W~s Balloon Probably Balloon Po:.siolt Balloon Was Aircr aft P ro bobl y Ai r craft Po ssi bl y Ai rc raft Was Astronomical . !'IS P robubl y Ast ronomica l Possibly Astro nomica l CJ.Ud..:"d ATlC lfORll 3:9 ~:r/ ::5 SEP 52) OFflC!AL FiLE CfJP'( 'D-~/Col .Vynn ... ro Sighting, Port-au-Princtt, Bai ti SD, !3A (Capt Neill) W3sil l.5 DC l~ !be tollowin~ inf tion regarding an uoidentitiad flying object si~htiDg wbich occurred in the area of ~rt-au-Prince, ~Iait1 OD 30 August 1963 is forwarded in r~sponse to a tela9hon., r9queet by Major , SAJ'Ol. ~\ copy o:f ~be report of the sight- ing is attached for your inf tion. 2 . I: i s the opinion of 3TD that the obj~ct 1fiawed b .Y tbe "tVitness i a this sighting waa thd 9lau~t Venus. At :he :i~e r~ported tor the be~iDDing of the U~ Sightin~, (&nUS had 3 ~ight 33Canalon oi 13 hours ~2 minutes 24 seconds and a declination of -10 degrees :~4 Minutes 05 seconds. This location of th;t plandt ':lould havEt c~used it position, as vieed fro Port-au-Princ$, to coincida closel7 71th that reported !or the UJO. 3, The Yitnesa repor~ed that it was uot necessary ~o move t~a talaacooe tor approxi~ately 10 minutes while observing the ooj~c~. :he appar~nt angular ratd ox ~ot~on oi tnd planet is appro~!~at~ly ~.5 de~rees in 10 minutes and as it nears the .horizon atmospheric ~efraetion prooably r9ducas this rate slightly. As best as can ~e deter2ined from the report, ~he optical equipment used by ~ha ~itnesa has a field of view of approximately 2 degrees. Obsarva- tioo of the object for approximately 10 minutes without moving the scope is quite possible. 4. Inforwation regarding the vertical temperature gradient at Port-au-Prince at the time of the sighting is not available; however, the general description of the Yeather, as provided in . tbe report, indicates the probability ot a temperature inversion . \t the lower elevations the ettects of inversions tand to increaae ~he distor~ion of astronomical objects by tbe a osphere. These objecta are flattened and dispersion etfecta cause th~ ~o apuaar =~ult1-colored. Often objects viawed under these conditions 3ppear ~o j p around and/or to ~OV9 radiallj. 7~rther, ~he$~ condi:inn~ )ftan cause thea to appear to aacand ~apial7 jus~ the ~oment oi satting. ln tnis 3igbting bad 3aein~ ~aa pro~oly ~ cootribur,in~ f1ctor. I~ th~se cases a ospheric tremors ar~ ~a~nifiad as 11 a 3 tlle i'Jlagea. OFFICIAL FILE COPY 5 . At the t i .. of tbe sightin~ tbe bri~ht tar .\lpha ~irgo ~Spica), utapi tud 1.2, was only approxi!aa tlly >net ~1alf ... 1eg.r9a (.3e angular d1aaeter of th moon) lro Venus. 'hough :hd ~pti ;~1 ~quipaea.t used by the witness could resolve t h as4t t~o oo.jects, l t 1 poaible that due to atmoapberic ~onditions dpica ~2a ~ cou- r;ributin.g factor. Spica -w just to the left 1nd -'lbove 7euus at t.1e "tue of the sightiDg. . 6. Venua a~ tbe t~ of the sighting had a ~agnitude of - 3.g and aa by far the ~rightast object in tb sky, tha moon having 3~t 41 ~inutea earlier at 1854. Aa viewed fro the earth .511 o the. plaaet's surface -was illuaioated, presenting an effect sia~ to the moon'jut before tbe last quarter. Coupled Yith ataa.pberic effect ~bia apparent distortion could have been a coatributiD& factor 7. lt is concluded tbat ~he m1sideatit1cat1on o ! the planet Vsnus r1aa the cause for th 'UIO sighting ... bicb occurred at Port-au-Pri:1ce, Hai"t1 on 30 .\uguat 1962. At:aospberic '3f!ects ".vhich di:3torted th$ planet, the nt narn~as o! the s~ar Spica t o the planet aad tJnlailia~ity of the witness with astronomical objects pro-. bably contributing factors T~ia ~70 s1gbti~g does security of the Unitad E~WAID B. TID Coloael, USAY Deputy ior Science Bnd COGJpoaeuts not contain any avidence o f ~hreat to C0'9Y o! .3eport of UPt) ing in Port-au-Prince UNITED STATES AIR I'Of~CE tvtiSSION TO HAITI <CAIRC) C/O AMf::RIC,HI EMBASSY POHTAUPRINCE, HAITI