1. DATE T-IME GROUP 2. LOCATION 4. NUMIER 011 OIJ!CTS 5. LENGTH 011 OISIRYATION 6. TYPE OF OISIRYATION . Gro urrl-Vi su:1l 9. PHYSICAL EYIDINCI Chi c e.go Illil1ois 10. CONCLUSION ,. lJ~J f)eNTl~l -IJ 11. IRII, SUMMARY AND ANAL.YStS . S3e Case File DEARBORN OBSERVATORY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY Major Hector Quintanilla Foreign Technology Division BVANSTON, ILLINOIS 60101 16 November 196h Wright Patterson Air Force Base Dayton, Ohio Dear Major: As yousee from the enclosed copy of the letter to Mr case of 9 May 1964), I think it is quite likely that he saw after-I had quite a long talk with him on the phone, and he was most cooperative. He seemed to be quite impressed by the fact that we were interested in his case and said that he was honored that we were spending any time on it at all. His story was still very much the same as he gave in the original report. Here are some of the highlights of our conversation: He was most impressed by the oscillating motion of the crescents; he said it was "most fearsome," and he was both trembling and perspiring when it was over. I asked him to re-enact the time sequence and check it with his watch, and when he did so, he indi- cated the whol e duration was three to five seconds. Hi s original report, I believe (although I don't have it at hand at the moment), said something like twenty seconds, didn't it? He said the experience was very vivid," like a photograph planted in his mind." He said that ever since be has been pondering, trying to band it on to something, but still finds no explanation. 1ihen I asked him what he would put up in the sky to simulate the situation, he said he'd put three moons as seen through a fog as he was particularly impressed by the motion the object had both across his line of sight and yet seeming to vanish in the distance. This seems to me very characteristic of an a:rter-ina.ge: the more you try to see it, the faster it dashes a"~11ay. He said he was on the phone within five minutes to the Tribune and the Planetarium and sent a telegram to Sky and Telescope and, I believe, he also said to Hright-Pa.tterson. He said the night vras exceptionally clear, "one of those once or t1o~ice a year nights." So any question of searchlights against a high cirrus is out. He is convinced they were objects, and fearsome ones. The edges were fuzzy, and the '\-thole objects were apparently of third magnitude. His eyes were dark-adapted. He said they have mercury light; in the neighborhood, and another possible explanation is that he saw light reflected from the bottor.lS of some birds, but I don't particularly like that explanation. He said that as soon as it happened, he "imr.1ediately k.nevT he had seen something extraordinary." 1 1 When he told me, however, that just before that he had been looking at the setting dials of his telescope, illuminating them vrith a red light, it seemed that we might have the explanation there, as you see I have indicated in ~ letter to him. So, all in all, the fuzzy edges, the greenish tinge, the faintness of the object, the peculiar motion, and the fact that even looking at a red light just before adds up, it seer~ to me, to the likelihood that this was a subjective experience. Perhaps, he had been bending over and suddenly straightened up. Anyway, I don't think we should chalk this up to anything really out of the ordinary, and unless he comes back with a ver,y sharp and cogent denial, I think we might well evaluate this as a subjective experience, possibzy after-images caused by watching a red light. I'm.working on the Altas, Mt. Vernon, and the es. I bavent been able to locate the Northwestern student as yet. One final thing in the e, it was he himself who brought up the suggestion that it might een caused by the red light. Usually when the witness brings up a suggestion like that, it often means the he's pretty convinced himself that that is what it was. enclosures Sincerely, J. Allen ~ek CHICAM ... ILLINOie Dr. J. Allen Hynek Dearborn Observatory Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois 60201. Dear Dr. Hyn$k: I was honored-aiidpleased wt"i t ing conce~ning the May 9th. t 0 hear---rro~a-you -t oday- m r--~-"-i li~ particular the case, a number on the phone which p enoacnon we ave iseuaaed. . :..:.p.i~ reaaon !or ritins ia because, ot things occurred to me arter I neglected to mention. we had spokefit'~i As a preliminary,' I think we had established that the . .-.:!~ ~ most striking elements or this phenomenon were th~ roll'owing: --.;'t, ~.;~ 1. Oscillating or pulaing; 2. attitude of euspa oddl.7 .. ~" pointing as illustrated in my drawing. (You may nder. ~ -"1 this c9ntinuea to ilnpress me. Way it just suttice to aq::tha .. ~ ... ~::--:-:.~ nature ot it was protouod and completely unique) 3. Such -,:.:~::,f other things aa path or motion, ruzzy outlines, color,. etc. .J;_,: ~:-~ I have neTer once considered this as an extra-terrestrial~.; " occurrence, not even at the moment I saw 1 t; I a onl.7 . -~::.-(~ :: that I had wi tneaaed aomething extraordinary. May I atresa. -~ '""~o. that the appearance was bold and vivid and above all - .rear-inspiring. I think I should tell you that I regarded as a . :,: ~. cynic and I .. tend-to pooh-pooh myths,--superstitions ._-.:dogmatiO;,.~i. -=.ti religious beliefs, etc., so that it takes a great deal to ~>~.-f.~t excite me, as did tb.is matter -witness the !act that I ; ... i . .'2f~ immediately began making phone calla, sending tlegraaa and ~; writing letters seeking some sort or corroboration or explanation ---------Without hopin~ to enhance the stery . or to perpetuate 1~i; May 1 observe tn&t it ~e~as to me the aft~r 1! late tatioa~ fails in several signiticant particulars. May I with deference : list them, as follows: , 1 . The appearance occurred almost a rull minute after I had turned ott m7 red flashlight; 2. Myaetting circles are 10-inch diaetera and can be read with a glance -not requiring concentrated light or squinting' 3. I have purposely let thea oxidize so they would have a dull !inish :: (cast al ); 4. Moat important ot all, I think, ia the 0 fact these objects raced into 147 view trom the east traveling.-: _; southwest aa ~ gaze was tixed looking west; I ~irat saw thea .t out o! the corner or. rtr3 eye and bad to ttlrn southeast to begi.n ---~.-: -~--~---!t~r~acking thea ! Thia alone to seems alm.oat concluaiTel.y to ~ eliminate the after-image theory, as appealing as it is, since my experience with after-image has been that the spurious objects will always appear where one's eyes are first brought to focus immediately after shifting them from the original light source which the eye retains and transposes. I think the main'misunderstanding, leading to the after-im~ge theory, was that I had used the red flashlight and then immediately looked up into the sky. If this were the case I would have dismissed the whole mqtter without another thought, since after-image is such a famili~r experience to all or us. As I bel reve I remarked;-I have' tried" -repeatedly-~o---- ~---:--~-... reenact or r~pro1uce this effect, even on nights when the ' sky has been of good transparency, and there has been nothing t of the sort o~served. . Still in all, considering that after-image or red light is almost invariably green, that crescent shapes assume the exact contour of ~ flas~light shown on setting circles from a~ove (thereby being semicircles,) the sky being intensely black, and being an experienced observer, the conclusion is irresistible and I think you can close the case on that note. But da:nn that eerie oscillating ! I list it as the n umber one factor, please remember, and it s t m(ling alone would be sufficient to have launched all this inquiry. Oh well. -I wish to thank you sincerely for allowing rne to impose on your valuable time It is certainly a rk of ~reatness common to men of your standing that you will entertain even the eccentric, back yard astronomer such as I. ru 1 y .vours , May ll, 1964 Unit tor Investigation ot UFOs (Unidentitied Flying ObJects) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Dayton, Ohio Gentlemen: I believe I am addressing this letter to the proper air base but do not know how to route it by organization. May I request it be directed to the unit responsible ~or investigating so-called UFOs. I am similarly contacting the Chicago Adler Planetarium, Ohioago Tribune Newspaper and Sky & Telescope Magazine, Cambridge, Mass. Phenomenon Observed Date: May 9, Saving Time; Visibilit7: 1964; Time: 11:23 p.m. Central Da7l1ght Place: South-western Chicago, Illinois; Exceptional, cloudless. Narration: Appearance ot J large, light-green crescenta, observed tor approx. 3 seconds traveling at high speed trom east to west south ot star oonatellat1on Leo, approx. 400 above horizon, disappearing abruptly atter transit ot approx. 1/4 ot south-western skT. Further details: Size: Each obJect approx. i diameter ot moon; Brightness: Approx. Jd magnitude (dim but large) Oscillating in size & color; torm, slightly nebulous. ObJects held peculiar tight formation as shown in sketch attached. Please note the tollowing customary explanations have seemingly been eliminated: Auroral ettects, presence ot planet Venus, searchlights bouncing ott clouds, e.ircratt , helicopters, advertising zepl1ns, stray-light optical etfeots such as auto headlights, aircraft landing lights, etc. May I respectfully request acknowledgment ot receipt of this letter - I do not ask tor explanations sinc4 I understand this is not customarily done. c.c. Adler Planetarium Sk7 '&Telescope Mag. Very truly Unit tor Investigation ot UFOs I Un1dent1t1ed Flying ObJects I Wright-Patterson Air Da7ton, Ohio Dr J Allcm IIynek Dem-born Observator.r llor-1:.1.'-l western Uni vcrs1 ty Dear Allen, I em returnillg the letter fxsom Iso.bcll Dav:l.o ~:o YO\l We ba,re torwarded a copy ot the 9 M9.y (>4, Chicae;o aigbting per )'OUr sugseation. Also, attached 1~:1 the 9 Nay uigbting ~ Cb'!eas> ~e 26 May Cembridge MMs sighth~ frail U:r Pf11.1.l Wankowicz :La at~cbed. We have no evaluatioll Ol.l thc:tae nt present 8M would aPlreciate )'Qlzt nalysia at ,-o1.1J~ ElJ!trlietJt clon,renience ill order tbat we miq' be able ~ rep:cy to tb~ observers. DAVID N lr:ooDY- HEADQUARTERS FOREIGN TECHNOLOGY DIVISION AIR ,.OACE SYSTEMS COMMAND UNITED TATES Allll f'OIIICI: WIIUGHTPATTI:IIISON AIR .. OIIICE BASE, OHIO UFO Sighting (9 May 64, Chicago, Illinois) Hq USAF SAFOI PB (Mrs Gaiser) We have received a re1::x>I"'t ........ c:a." ,..,...+ing by Mr dentified flying object 2. This report is being forwarded to Doctor J Allen Hy.nek, Air Force consultant to Project Blue Book, due to the astronom- ical nature. At present ve are unable to determine what Mr Betz has observed. It is requested that he be informed of the referral of his letter to Doctor Hynek and that he vill be in- formed of our evaluation on this phenomenon. FOR TEE COMMANDER colonel, USAF :1!'7'\1 ty for Technology and Subsystems YOU THE NUCLEUS OF SECURITYI