THE FIFTH HORSEMAN OF THE APOCALYPSE UFOS: A HISTORY January-June 1960 Loren E. Gross Copyright "UFOs are the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse." ---Dr. Lincoln La Paz "Dark Age." Waveney Girvan, writing in the English publication Flying Saucer Review, said: "The years 1960, 1961 and 1962 were particularly dark. As far as general interest was concerned, the saucers might as well as have disappeared from our skies. While it was true that local reports kept coming in, the public got into their heads that the subject was nonsensical and that it was nothing more than an out-of-date newspaper stunt." ( xx.) (xx.) Girvan, Waveney. "Ten Years Old." Flying Saucer Review. November- December 1964. Vol.lO, No.6. p.4. Richard Hall ofNICAP recalls this period in this way: "The period of 1958-1963 has to rank as the darkest of UFO 'Dark Ages.' Little or nothing about UFOs was reported by the news media, although scattered (but often significant) sightings were being made. NICAP struggled along trying to survive with little financial support and a staff of one (me). I had a few part time volunteers as hel- pers." ( xx.) (xx.) Hall, Richard. "Bridging 50 years ofUFO History." UFOs 1947-1997. Eds: Hilary Evans and Dennis Stacy, John Brown Publishing Ltd., London, England. May 1997. p.213. Air Force BLUE BOOK consultant Dr. J. Allen Hynek observed: ... from 1958 through 1963, UFO reports began to diminish in quality as well as quantity, and I felt that perhaps 'the flying saucer' era was on the wane and would soon vanish. But since 1964 there has been a sharp rally in the numbers of puzzling sightings." ( xx.) (xx.) Hynek, Dr. J. Allen. "Are Flying Saucers Real." The Saturday Evening Post. Jackie Gleason. The "Great One" was one the most famous personalities in the entertainment business at this time. Although he earned huge amounts of money as an actor and a comedian, Jackie Gleason also had a serious side that had nothing to do with fame and fortune. He was fascinated by the para-normal and owned a huge library of 4,000 books devoted to unexplained phenomena. Ben Gross noted in his "What's On?" column in the New York Daily News that Gleason became sober, serious, and highly perceptive, when the para-normal subject came up, a subject notorious for fraud and misrepresentation. Gleason included the UFO mystery among his far-out interests. Gross learned about Gleason's authoritativeness and his desire to impart his knowledge about the unknown quite by accident. Gross wrote: " ... about 2 A.M. Wednesday morning I happened to be listening to Long John's all-night session on WOR when who should be dominating the conversation but that robust, roistering and talented comedian, Jackie Gleason. "He was talking about flying saucers (says-they come from other planets), extra- sensory perception (he believes in it), ghosts, poltergeists, teleportation (he's sold on these) and religion (he's a true believer). And what's more, he discussed these topics in a highly articulate, intelligent and often a witty manner. "Unexpectedly, Jackie walked into Long John's studio while the tall one [LJ] was interviewing two advertising men, Edward Gottschel and Arthur Hawkins. Thereafter no one stood a chance. Gleason took over and until5 A.M. gave listen- ers a truly fascinating glimpse ofthe character and mental makeup of one ofthe most unusual personalities before the public today." (xx.) (xx.) Gross, Ben. "Whats On?" New York, N.Y. New York Daily News. 1 January 60. 1960 (no exact date) Adelaide, Australia, (Just before 6:00a.m.) Looked like a Zeppelin. A Mrs. W.M. Pettifor states: "During 1960 I was employed as a cook at a migrant hostel in Adelaide. On the day in question I was on my way to work just before six, it was still dark at the time. Suddenly my attention was drawn to a huge cigar-shaped object which seemed to rise gently over a ridge of hill just ahead. It was enveloped in an orange glow. There were no windows visible and, in some respects, it looked like one of the old Zeppelins which I had seen pictures of as a child. There was no sound of an engine. It cruised along level with the hills for a few moments, then suddenly shot vertically into the sky at a fantastic speed. It was out of sight in a matter of seconds. "I was ridiculed at the hostel when I mentioned what I had seen, but the news- papers that evening mentioned that other people, including a milkman, had also seen the strange object." (xx.) (xx.) Hervey, Michael. UFOs Over The Southern Hemisphere. Horwitz Publications Inc. Pty. Ltd.: Sydney, Australia, 1969. p.154. or early 1960. Near Connelly AFB, Waco, Texas. (about 10:00 p.m.) "I remembered the technique of ramming which was taught as a last res6it." A retired Air Force Lt. Col. who asked that his name not be used related the following story MUFON investigators: "In the interest of getting this account on paper, the following is a description of events as I remember them. The actual date and time can be obtained from my flight In late 1960 I was an Instructor Pilot, 1st Lt., in F -89J' s stationed at James Connelly AFB in Waco, Texas. The Instructor Radar Observer I was teamed with 1st Lt. Joe E. Meyer. "In late 1959 or early 1960 Gen. Curtis E. LeMay conducted an exercise to test his bomber's capability to penetrate our air defenses, and we, as a fighter squadron, were ordered to stand down from training RO's (Radar Observers) and to participate in the air defense exercise. "At about 10 p.m. I was scrambled from hot alert and turned over to the control- ling radar site at Ft. Hood. A 'bogey' had been detected in West Texas, and I was assigned to intercept it. I ran in the afterburner longer than anticipated, and made a successful intercept of a B-4 7 at 42,000 feet somewhere Midland, Texas. My exact location was not a concern as I was under radar control. After the intercept I swung around and headed back towards Waco. "As I said, I was getting low on fuel, so I pulled the throttles back a little and went into a gradual powered descent. There was a thin undercast below us at about feet. The night was crystal clear with visibility unlimited. The starlight and moon- light were bright enough to see the white undercast below us as I descended for an approach into James Connelly. "At this point we were still under radar control from Ft. Hood. I arrived just north westofWaco at 22,000 feet and could see the base through some breaks in the clouds. The lights of Waco lit up the clouds to my right below, adding to my orienta- tion. At this time I broke off radar control as I had the field in sight and intended to make a VFR approach as there was no other traffic on the radio. "I swung to the right towards Waco, and out of force ofhabit looked over my shoulder to be certain I wasn't turning into another aircraft. In so doing I noticed a light way out to my right and level with us, over Waco. I pointed this out to Joe, and he also saw the light. "I continued my turn while watching the pinpoint of light. It didn't move as I swung into it. I added power, leveled off, and put the object on my nose. At 12 miles Joe told me he had picked up the object and would lock-on if he could. In a moment he had a lock-on, and my pilot's scope lit up to show a collision course to fly for firing our 2.75 rockets. "Although unarmed, the attack radar presented information as if we were armed. Joe gave me course and overtake information and, as we approached, I could see that the object had four extremely bright blue-white round dots of light on the side that I could observe. I checked my true airspeed against the overtake ring on my scope, as by now we were down to 10 seconds to fire. "Our overtake and my true airspeed were identical, meaning that the object was standing still. I was reading 275 TAS. I tried to measure the width of the object against my wingspan and came up with something around 25-30 feet. Joe and I es- timated the height at 8-9 feet. By now we were down to 5 seconds to frre and on a collision course with the object. I wondered what the hell I was going to do. "We were both talking, and Joe could see it over my helmet. We concluded it was a UFO. I remember that the technique of ramming, which was taught as a last resort, came into my mind. Instantly the dot on my scope flew up and I heard the radar an- tenna hit the stops. I had been looking at the scope. I looked up to see the object climbing straight up at an incredible speed. "Within a few seconds we were directly under where the object had been, and Joe and I looked straight up into its belly, which was round and, again, a brilliant blue- "When I flew directly below the spot where the object had been, I anticipated hit- 'wash' from the downward thrust of whatever engine was powering the craft. our surprise there was none. No bump as we expected. No downward thrust as from a propeller or rocket engine. "As we watched, the vehicle rapidly became smaller and smaller until it was like a star in the sky, then it went out of sight. Joe and I estimated that we lost sight of it in of90,000 feet. We were extremely shaken up by the event and swore each other to secrecy, as we knew if we mentioned what had just happened we would be branded as nuts and not believed and probably grounded. I completed the letdown and landing, and Joe and I never spoke of the incident again. I was transferred later that year and have not seen or spoken to Joe since that time. "The foregoing is a true account, and the first time I have put it in writing. I have told a few people of the encounter in recent years because I feel it now should be . known that these encounters are factual, can be documented and witnessed, and that the object was solid and would reflect a radar pulse." (xx.) (xx.) (Name on file at MUFON Headquarters) "Pilot finally reveals UFO encounter." MUFON UFO Journal. Number 375. July 1999. p.l7. Ruppelt' s "vo lte-face." Ex-BLUE BOOK Chief Edward Ruppelt was now a civilian employed at the Tactical Weapons Systems Operations at Aeronutronic (A Division of the Ford Motor Company at Newport Beach, California). He had authored a major UFO book in 1956 titled: The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects. During the winter of 1959-60, a revised hardbound edition was put on sale by Doubleday. The second edition had no identification as such except on the dust jacket where it said: "a brand new enlarged edition." It was true the book was bigger (three additional chapters), but the important thing was that the additional material amounted to a turn-about from Ruppelt's earlier stand on the UFO mystery. The "volte-face" caused consternation in the UFO community, especially at NICAP headquarters. It undercut NICAP's effort to get Congress interested in the UFO problem. Here is what NICAP had to say about Ruppelt's reversal: "The move came after Ruppelt had toured the country appearing on television along with some of the major UFO witnesses, implying endorsement oftheir sightings. NICAP can only assume that the switch was caused by severe pressure from the Air Force. "In a recent statement to the press in California in connection with the release of his revised book, Ruppelt said that he was now convinced that UFOs were nothing but illusions. The new edition of his book is unchanged except for the addition of three new chapters on the end--one devoted to ridicule of 'contactee' claims. "As many [NICAP] members have pointed out, the added chapters contradict the first part of the book, without any explanation. The earlier edition had cited many serious reports from pilots and other experienced observers which could not be explained and had been accepted by Ruppelt as genuine 'unknowns.' Yet with no additional information, Ruppelt has reversed himself completely and now says he considers all of the reports explainable as natural phenomena ... - "It seems odd that while active as the Project Blue Book chief, Ruppelt could fmd no explanations ... ; but now that he no longer has access to all of the sources of information necessary to check a UFO sighting he has been able to fmd answers. of this sort hardly provides the 'realistic and knowledgeable explanations' which the Air Force says its personnel must give the public. The strained reversal would not appear to be ofRuppelt's own choosing." (xx.) (xx.) "Ruppelt Reverses Stand on UFOS." The UFO Investigator. Vol. 1, No.9, p.6. January. Between the towns ofLa Victoria and El Vigia, State ofMerida, Venezuela. (daytime?) The truck rose in the air. The witness was Mr. Adolfo Paolini Pisani, a government topographer. The story reached Coral Lorenzen via Horacio Gonzales, APRO's representative in Venezuela. Coral related the details in one of her books on UFOs: "The exact date of the sighting is not known, but Pisani does recall that it took place in January 1960 while he was driving his jeep along the Andean Highway which leads from the town of La Victoria to El Vigia in the state ofMerida. He said the sky was clear with very few clouds. Having just crossed over the moun- tain from La Victoria, Pisani could see the level part of the highway which stretched toward El Vigia as well as portions of the sky to his right and to his "A truck approached Pisani's jeep from behind and the driver sounded the to pass, so Pisani pulled his vehicle to the extreme right of the road, which was very narrow, and the truck passed and continued on ahead. Pisani took no special of the truck until a few minutes later, 'like a bolt from the blue,' he said, a brilliant, metallic, disk-shaped object which looked like polished blue steel swoop- ed down out ofthe sky at incredible speed and crossed perilously close over the ofthe truck. "The results of this maneuver were astounding to Pisani, and the disk, after pass- ing above the truck, rose again and was lost to sight in the sky in a matter onds. When it rose into the air above the hood of the truck, the vehicle also rose a few feet into the air and overturned in the direction taken by the object, falling into a sand bank at the side of the road with its four wheels upturned. "Controlling his utter astonishment and upset, Pisani stopped his jeep when he arrived at the truck's location and rushed to assist any occupants. Fortunately there was only one occupant, the driver, who escaped the mishap with only a few scratch- es, bumps, minor cuts, and shock. Then the two of them left the scene to fmd people to help them set the truck back on its wheels. "Mr. Pisani reported the incident to the National Guard ofVenezuela and the truck driver was questioned. However, the incident was not made public and was never published in the press." ( xx.) (xx.) Lorenzen, Coral and Jim. UFOs: The Whole Story. A SIGNET Book: New York, 6 January. Fort Worth, Texas. (no time) "A flying saucer just landed in Cobb Park and is chasing all the cars out." A story published in the APRO bulletin said: 6th of January several young couples panicked and left secluded regions of Cobb Park in Fort Worth, Texas, and officers were dispatched to the park after an ex- cited caller reported a 'flying saucer had just landed in Cobb Park and is chasing all the cars out.' Fort Worth Star-Telegram which reported this incident, reported also that Detective V.U. King spotted a bright light from the southeast part of the city and felt sure it was a blazing meteorite. The Weather Bureau described a current meteorite shower and a local amateur astronomer said his piece about meteors also. No one stopped to think, apparently, that the light which purportedly 'landed' surely would have been still visible in the sky much later, if it were a meteorite." (xx.) (xx.) APRO Bulletin. January 1960. p.4. 7 January. Arlington, Texas. (night) off after a car." The same story in the APRO Bulletin stated: "On the following night [the 7th], a Fort Worth man reported seeing an uncon- ventional aerial object just south of the General Motors plant at Arlington, Texas. The man, who reported the sighting to police, was described as near hysteria. He said the object had landed on a road and then 'took off after a car.' The police who took this information apparently failed to get the man's name and have found no further witnesses to corroborate the story." (xx.) (xx.) APRO Bulletn. January 1960. p.6. 8 January. Moscow, Russia. "No saucers." (See clipping) 11 January. Hynek asks to meet with Isabel: "Dear Isabel- "I hope you don't mind the familiarity -but Bud & I have always spoken ofyou on a frrst name basis. Bud, by the way, is out at my old place -Ohio State Uni- "Well-I am going to be in New York on the evening of Jan. 27 and I would like to spend a short while with you and your associates. I had a nice letter from Michel recently which I'd like to show you, and I'd like to chat awhile about "My visit will be entirely unofficial, and whether I mention it to the will be up to you. But in general, the less said the better. "When you answer, would you please use19 Fairmont St. Belmont, Mass. as my address [not the observatory], as I'd just as soon keep our business discussions out of office channels here. "I hope you folks will have a little time on Jan 27 --or late on the 28th. Sincerely Yours, Hynek" (xx.) (xx.) Letter: To: Isabel (Davis?). From: Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Office of the Director, Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge 38, Massachusetts. 11 January 60. 11 January. Manomet, Massachusetts. (night) Circle of orange and blue lights. According to our source: "Other reports of the strange aerial phenomena in 1960 were reported from Manomet on January 11, where a circle of orange and blue lights reportedly came down from the of the Big Dipper, went through maneuvers with no sounds reported. Then the ob- jects [sic] returned to their original locations in the sky." ( xx.) (xx.) Air Force BLUE BOOK Files. No Case (Information Only) 11 January 1960. Manomet, Massachusetts. (Apparently taken from a civilian UFO publication) 15 January. Port Elizabeth, South Africa. (5:40p.m.) Silver cigar-shaped object. (See clipping) 15 January. Sharon Springs, Kansas. (Between 3:00-4:00 a.m.) "Carried a large rotating spotlight." (See clipping) SHARON SPRINGS, KANS. WESTERN TIMES JAN 2 I 1960 Yis . -r-Bome O~ject ; Sighted Early Fritlay Morning Ntrth of Sharon . Another a.lr-bor~ object I~ !J)Is from bhc 11round on Smoky Hill arwe. haa b~n report~ by 'Mr. an~rlv.,. and It c..rrled a largl! rotat- ~ra. KenruMh IAc~y. who live liwo In : spotlight and had mwtller lJ.&hts north M Sharon Springs on 11round th~ hull which appeard to fll~hW!ly '27. be circular In shape. The <>hJeoct wa ighted betwePn The L&cey-s said the air-borne ob- 3:00 and 4:00 a.m .. Friday morning , ._ .. ' Ject r0-~e to a height of some 300 or. .t.l\elr fann or 400 fe.t and hovered th&re for home. -eonedersble. Urne bt.for~ I'Oinc , Tk 'IAoe,w ._ the object rl .. ~er In Ule atmosphe~. 17 January. Near Cimarron, New Mexico. ( 6:17 p.m.) ~ilv~r. object seen' in sk~y PORT ELIZABETH, Friday . . D. Coetzee, Eastern Cape. il manager for a. la