From: Francis Ridge <
[email protected]> The 1975 SAC Base Northern Tier Overflights October 27 - November 18, 1975 Updated: June 15, 2007 http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/facility/images/usaf-map1.jpg When Project Blue Book's closure was announced in Dec. of 1969* (with full knowledge of the March 1967 missile incident), the media and the public was told that "No UFO reported, investigated, and evaluated by the Air Force has ever given any indication of threat to our national security. There has been no evidence submitted to or discovered by the Air Force that sightings categorized as 'unidentified' represent technological developments or principles beyond the range of present-day scientific knowledge. There has been no evidence indicating that sightings categorized as 'unidentified' are extraterrestrial vehicles." The incidents listed in the latter part of October and the first few weeks of November dramatically illustrate that at least two of these claims are false. This 13-page report with 59 documents would not be possible without the help of Dan Wilson, Brad Sparks, Barry Greenwood and Larry Fawcett. My work on this compilation began many months ago because of a need for a very comprehensive listing of these important incidents. This report is part of the 30-page 1975 UFO Chronology but covers only the events during the northern tier overflights so that the importance of this intrusion would not be lost in the shuffle. The official documents provided in this report list the cause of these incidents (in many cases) as "helicopters". It would soon be obvious, and surely now after 30-plus years, that these were DEFINITELY NOT any type of helicopter. The times listed in the documents are ZULU, so local time had to be calculated so we could use the listings in the proper chronological order. Many times this actually changed the DATE of the sighting. So what you see (if not in need of any future corrections) is what happened, and when. Here, then, is the 1975 SAC Base Northern Tier Overflights, listed as they occurred, with the other incidents around the country and the world intact. Francis Ridge NICAP Site Coordinator Oct - Dec 75 - Out in space over the Indian Ocean U.S. satellites were illuminated or "blinded" over the Indian ocean. Source 10-1,000 times as strong as natural sources. 5 incidents. One 4 hrs. long. Metropolitan D.C.Besieged With UFO Activity Strange lights, unexplaonable maneuvers, and craft-like shapes are continuing to puzzle residents of the Washington, D.C. area. Reports began in October and have continued through December at the NICAP office, Many of the reports have similarities while others are an enity onto themselves. (The National Military Command Center [NMCC} is located in Washington, D.C.) Oct. 3, 1975; Quincy, MA On this night a large mass of white light, with smaller blue lights inside, hung stationary over Quincy. (Source: CUFOS News Bulletin, February 1976, p. 7). Oct. 4, 1975; Ramsey, NJ 2:55 a.m. Two police officers, Francis J. Gross and C. Ragazzo were on routine patrol when officer Ragazzo received a radio call from Gross informing him of five "strange looking" lights in the south-west sky. Both officers were able to observe the objects for a period of five minutes. The lights were in a straight line formation and moving very slowly. They appeared to be solid and were reddish in color. The rear sections of the objects were blurred but the rest of the cigar shape was distinctly outlined. The officers watched the objects intently until they disappeared from sight. (Reference: UFO INVESTIGATOR. December 1975, page 1) Oct.16, 1975; Davis, CA 8:20 p.m. Seven witnesses including the main witness named Landeros sighted two UFOs maneuvering in the sky. The first object was triangular in shape with white and yellow lights. It went down and up rapidly, then back-and-forth. The second UFO was a domed disc; it came from same direction as the first and had red, green, and blue lights spinning on its rim. It hovered, tilted, and shot off toward the west. (Source: CUFOS News Bulletin, February 1976, p. 9). Oct. 18, 1975; 25 miles NW of Helena, MT 12:30 a.m. John Struble was driving his truck when he noticed a large object, fifty feet in diameter and twenty-five to thirty feet in the air. The object passed over his truck from the rear and then stopped and hovered about one hundred yards ahead of him. As the object did this it directed a very bright light at him, causing the truck's lights and engine to go out. The UFO stayed there for about five minutes before moving away. The object made a noise like a big jet and then rocketed straight up into the sky and moved away to the east at an incredible speed. When the UFO disappeared the truck's lights and engine came back on. Struble notuced that his nonelectric watched had stopped for five minutes, the duration of the UFO's appearance.(Reference: Lawrence Fawcett and Barry J. Greenwood, Clear Intent, page 33) Oct. 19, 1975; Hailey, ID 11:00 p.m. Two men walking just west of town noticed a red light approaching their position at high speed. It stopped over them, and was described as an almond shaped craft pointed at the ends. It then turned bluish in color and began to hover. The lights suddenly went out and the craft descended making a hissing sound. It landed among some bushes then a small light came on. At this point both men saw a figure moving within the light and ran back to town. (HC addition # 744, CUFOS Reports,Type: A) Oct. 20, 1975; Priest Butte, MT 4:30 p.m. A couple living on a ranch near Priest Butte, Montana, reported that they had seen a UFO about half a mile from their home, on the east slope of Priest Butte. Using binoculars, they described it as being egg-shaped, with the large end of the craft on the ground. It had one yellowish-gold light which at first gave off a dull glow and then became brighter. It had two arm-like appendages which came out of the craft, one on each side. The arms made a continual motion similar to a breaststroke. The craft remained stationary for five minutes. Then the appendages retracted into the craft, and it went straight up and out of sight. (Reference: Lawrence Fawcett and Barry J. Greenwood, Clear Intent, page 34) Oct. 25, 1975; Sao Gondolo do Amarante, Ceara state, Brazil 6:00 p.m. A young woman with the surname of Dira had bathed in a lagoon in Sao Gondolo do Amarante on the river and was washing clothes when she felt a heat wave and saw an oscillating blue light in the sky nearby. Frightened, she took cover in some undergrowth, but the light increased intensity. When the blue light approached even closer she ran home. She managed to escape inside her house, but she had a high body temp, bloodshot eyes, and her skin looked like it had a sunburn. (Source: Claude Bourtembourg, SOBEPS News, March 1976, p. 18; Charles Bowen, Saga UFO Report, December 1976, p. 80; both sources cite J. Gualberto.) Oct. 25, 1975; Sao Gondolo do Amarante, Ceara state, Brazil Bt. 6:00 & 7:00 p.m. A local man was struck by a blue beam of light, reputedly from a disc. He subsequently died. Several other witnesses reported being attacked and terrified by the experience. Some reported being paralyzed by a blue light. (Source: Charles Bowen, FSR, July 1976, p. 33 and Saga UFO Report, citing La Razon, October 27, 1975). Oct. 27, 1975; Oxford, ME David Stephens was one of the principals of this famous abduction case. It's one of the most interesting such incidents, not only for the abduction itself but for its curious aftermath. Investigator Brent M. Raynes wrote about it in 'The Twilight Side of a UFO Encounter', FSR 22,2 (July 1976), with follow-up comment by Berthold E. Schwarz in the same issue. The case is also discussed in Thomas E. Bullard's UFO Abductions: The Measure of a Mystery and in my The UFO Encyclopedia, 2nd Ed., pp. 685-90. (Jerry Clark) Late Oct. 1975; Cheyenne Mountain, CO In late October, something happened near Cheyenne Mountain, the home of the National Combat Operations Center, something that triggered a Security Option 5 Alert. According to an informant, nobody was allowed to enter the base, except cleared, high-ranking officers or cleared security patrols. No one was to leave. Those personnel on base who had just completed duty were rolled out of bed. Jet interceptors were scrambled into the air. In fact, everything they put in the air during an attack on the U.S. was airborne. (UFO Filter Center/Ridge Files). But there was more going on in other places.... Target: Loring AFB, ME Although it is no longer an active Air Force Base today, in 1975 Loring AFB was a Strategic Air Command Base and a storage site for nuclear weapons. The nukes were stored in a fenced weapons dump consisting of small huts covered with dirt for camouflage from the air. It was patrolled day and night by the 42nd Security Police Squadron. Intrusions at Loring (AFB) - (CLEAR INTENT, 16-26; Barry Greenwood and Larry Fawcett) Oct. 27, 1975; Loring AFB, ME 7:45 p.m. Staff Sgt. Danny K. Lewis was patrolling the weapons dump when he saw an unidentified aircraft nearing the north perimeter of Loring at a low altitude of about 300 feet. Lewis noticed what appeared to be a red navigation light and a white strobe light on the aircraft. As Lewis watched, the craft entered the perimeter of Loring. Meanwhile, in the control tower of the air base, Staff Sgt. James P. Sampley of the 2192nd Communications Squadron was on duty at the radar screen. He got a radar return from an unknown aircraft ten to thirteen miles east-northeast of Loring. Sampley made numerous attempts by radio on all available communications bands, civilian and military, to contact the craft, but he got no response. The unidentified craft began to circle, and came to within 300 yards of the restricted nuclear storage area at a low altitude of 150 feet. Back at the nuclear weapons dump, Lewis notified his Command Post of the of the 42 Bomb Wing that an unknown aircraft had penetrated the base perimeter and was within 300 yards of the nuclear weapons area. The base was immediately put on major alert status, a a Security Option 3, and Security contacted the tower. Oct. 27, 1975; Loring AFB, ME 8:45 p.m. Sgt. Grover K. Eggleston of the 2192nd Communications Squadron was on duty at the tower when the call from the Command Post came. He began observing the unknown aircraft. Six minutes later, while watching the radar screen, Eggleston noted that the unknown craft appeared to be circling approximately ten miles east-northeast of the base. This action lasted for forty minutes when, suddenly, it disappeared from the screen. Either the object had landed, or it had dropped below the radar coverage. The Wing Commander arrived at the weapons storage area seven minutes after the initial sighting was made. Immediately, other units of the 42nd Police began pouring into the area. Security vehicles with blue flashing lights were converging from all over the base. Through the Loring Command Post, the Wing Commander requested fighter coverage from the 21st NORAD Region at Hancock Field, New York, and the 22nd NORAD Region at North Bay, Ontario, Canada. However, fighter support was denied by both regions. The Wing Commander then increased local security posture and requested assistance from the Maine State Police in trying to identify the unknown craft, which they presumed was a helicopter. A call was made to local flight services for possible identification, without results. The 42nd Security Police conducted a sweep of the weapons storage perimeter inside and out. An additional sweep was made of the areas that the craft had flown over. All actions produced no results. The craft broke the circling pattern and began flying toward Grand Falls, New Brunswick, Canada. Radar contact was lost in the vicinity of Grand Falls bearing 065 degrees, twelve miles from Loring. Canadian authorities were not notified. No further unusual events occurred throughout that night. Priority messages were sent to the National Military Command Center in Washington, D.C., the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, the USAF Forward Operations Division at Fort Ritchie, Maryland, and Strategic Air Command headquarters at the 8th Air Force and the 45th Division informing them of what had taken place. The base remained on a high state of alert for the rest of the night and into the early morning hours of October 28. Oct. 28, 1975; Belgrade, Yugoslavia DC-9 pilot followed by UFOs, E-M, radar Oct. 28, 1975; Sudbury, Ontario, Canada 12:15 a.m. EST. One cup and saucer hat shaped object, very bright, low about 500 feet, was observed over the slag pit Murray Mine, Sudbury. The object hovered over the slag pit for a minute then departed at extremely high speed. The object then returned for another minute and left. (National Research Council of Canada Record Group 77, Vol. 308, reel number Oct. 28, 1975; Loring AFB, ME 7:45 - 8:20 p.m. While patrolling the weapons storage area, Staff Sgt. Lewis, along with Sgt. Clifton W. Blakeslee and Sgt. William J. Long, again spotted the lights of an unidentified aircraft approaching Loring AFB from the north at an altitude of about 3,000 feet. It approached to within about three miles of the base perimeter and was noted to have a flashing white light and an amber or orange light. Lewis reported the sighting to his Command Post, and the Wing Commander came out to the weapons storage area to see for himself. He reported seeing an object with a flashing white light and an amber light whose speed and motion were similar to that of a helicopter. The craft was also observed on radar. The craft was then observed over the flight line by Sgt, Steven Eichner, Sgt. R. Jones, and others. They saw an orange and red object shaped like a stretched-out football hovering in mid-air. It turned out its lights, and then reappeared making jerky motions, then hovering about 150 feet over the end of the runway. It was described as about four car-lengths long, solid, reddish-orange, with no doors or windows, and with no visible propellers or engines. It was totally silent. The base went on full alert and a sweep was made by security, but the object turned off its lights and was not seen again. Radar picked up a target moving in the direction of Grand Falls, New Brunswick. SAC Headquarters was again notified. Oct 29 - Nov 10 - NORAD Command Director's Log (1975) (includes text html file) Oct. 29, 1975; Loring AFB, ME 1:00 a.m. EST. Actual transcript: One unidentified helicopter was sighted 300 to 500 meters from the weapons storage area at Loring AFB, Maine. The helicopter was at an altitude of 150 feet and penetrated Loring AFB. An attempt to contact and identify the intruding "helicopter" was made by an Army National Guard helo, and was unsuccessful. At 290300 EST the helicopter was sighted over the weapons storage area and the Army National Guard helicopter again responded to make contact but was unsuccessful. The USAF (Ops Div) has requested that the Army NG helo be provided until 300800 EST under the following conditions: To track and identify the intruder; no apprehension to take place; the Canadian Border would not be crossed; and civilian police on board will be for commo with ground units only. The request is under consideration by MG Snifin, DA Director of Operations, DCSOPS. Col Bailey, Mil Aide to Special Asst to SECDIF/DEPSECDEF has been advised of the situation show DoD approval be required. The State Department Canadian Desk Officer has been kept informed. (SOURCE: 42 BW CP LORING AFB 291140Z OCT 75; SAC CP OPS CONTROL 291954Z OCT 75. (Actual document below. See page 1 & 2) Oct 29 - Memorandum For The Record - NMCC Assortment #1 - Gen. C.D. Roberts (NUMEROUS Docs) Same as above, for Oct. 29 only Oct. 30, 1975; Ford Creek at Augusta, MT 12:00 a.m. Football shaped UFO. (NIDS UFO 42) Oct. 30, 1975, Loring AFB, ME The Maine National Guard Huey was replaced by an Air Force helicopter and crew from Plattsburgh AFB. That evening, objects were reported at several locations over and near the base, and were detected by radar. October 30, 1975; Wurtsmith AFB Intrusions At the same time that plans were being prepared at Loring for the return of the intruder, things started to break open at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, another of the northern tier bases that were put on a security option three alert. Wurtsmith is a Strategic Air Command base located three miles northwest of Oscoda, Michigan. It serves as the home base for the 40th Air Division and the 379th Bomb Wing. Intrusions at Wurtsmith (AFB) - (CLEAR INTENT, 41-56; Barry Greenwood and Larry Fawcett) To summarize briefly, radar picked up the craft over the weapons storage area and followed it to the southeast, where the task of identification was handed over to the KC-135 commander. The KC-135 crew picked it up visually and on radar. Taylor, in his statement to Cahill, never once called the craft a helicopter, but called it "a UFO" and an "object." He said that their speed was about 200 knots, and in each attempt to close with the object, "it would speed away from us." Taylor added that when they were heading back to Wurtsmith, "we turned back in the direction of the UFO, and it really took off... doing approximately 1,000 knots." One thousand knots! Certainly no helicopter ever built could do such a thing! Oct. 30, 1975; Wurtsmith AFB, MI 10:10 p.m. Personnel in the vicinity of the family housing area located in the southeastern portion of Wurtsmith reported seeing what appeared to be running lights of a low-flying craft which was thought to be a helicopter. The craft hovered and moved up and down in an erratic manner. Airman Martin E. Tackabury, assigned to the Capehart housing area gate, said that he saw the object for about five seconds near the perimeter of Wurtsmith, due south of his location. Tackabury reported that the object had one white light pointing directly downward and two red lights near the rear. The object seemed to be heading in a west-southwest direction. Tackabury could not hear any sound coming from the aerial craft because a B-52 was in the air nearby to the north. Near the main gate at Wurtsmith, Airman Michael J. Myers, assigned to Police Unit Seven, was on duty at the Wurtsmith motor pool. As Myers looked toward the west, he could see several lights near the western edge of the base. The lights turned north and appeared to lose altitude. He did not hear any sound. Sergeant Robert J. Anderson, also at the motor pool, reported that he observed an airborne KC-135 tanker and another craft with a steady red light. The craft appeared to be flying slower, ahead and below the KC-135. Anderson believed he heard a sound similar to a helicopter. After thirty to thirty-five seconds, the object passed out of view. Airman Roger Skipper, at the Wurtsmith main gate, said that when he responded to the activity at the motor pool, he heard sounds that diminished quickly. (Clear Oct. 30, 1975; Wurtsmith AFB, MI At 10:14, 10:20, and 10:25 p.m., at the back gate of Wurtsmith, security police reported to the command post that an unidentified helicopter with no lights came up over the back gate and hovered over the weapons storage area at a low altitude. Security police of the 379th security police squadron in the weapons storage area could not make out the type of craft. The craft started to move towards the northern perimeter where its lights were again turned on. Sergeant James A. Miller of the Wurtsmith security police reported his observations of the unknown craft while on duty in the weapons storage area. He stated that he heard the sound of a possible helicopter coming from an area off the base toward the north. He thought he had heard the sound of a flying helicopter fifteen minutes earlier, but he didn't report it. As he listened, the noise became drowned out by a military