L W . or.>UG L A S 'OUTHERN ARIZONA BANK ANO TRUST BUILDING CAt!U." AODAESS 0U0l.EWIS February 15, 1955 Your letter of the fifteenth of November, to- gether with a copy of your letter to Bowen, ap- parently was received in New York when I was in the hospital and has been rattling around since unanswered. Please excuse this unseemly and unpardonable delay. The book, "Flying Saucers from Outer Space,"' I have only now located and I shall read it with great interest, only because you recommend it. Were it not for you, I suspect that the title and the c o ve r would persuade me to look in the opposite direction. Your letter to Bowen does not suggest that you hav e gone nuts -yet! Sinc e you wrote the letter many things have been happening in the Far East. I should so like to talk with you about them. It seems to me that our Administration would be on much firmer ground on the Formosa and Pescadores question if they would rest their cas e on the simple legal question of title. There is no doubt that the title to For- mosa and the Pescadores is very cloudy. It seems to me that there is littl e doubt that title permanentl y can pass only as the result of the terms of a peace treaty or of an instrument equivalent to a peace t reaty. Rt. Hon. Richard G . Casey, CH, DSO, MC Minister for External Affairs Melbourne C . 2, Australia 'L.W. DOUGLAS SC."IJTMRN ARIZONA SANK ANO TRUST SUILOING TUCSON, ARIZONA C ,eL.C ADORSS; OUGLWI S November 20, 1954 Dear Mr. Casey: In the absence of Mr. Douglas I am writing to acknowledge your letter to him of November 15th. Mr. Douglas is at present in the hospital in New York where he ts recupera- ting fro~ the operation he underwent recentlY. I will forwe.rd your letter there and it will be brought to his attention as soon as he has sufficiently recovered to be able to t&ke cere of his correspondence. Rt. !Ion. Richard G. Casey, CH, JJSO, .t-'C, ltl.nis ter for External Affairs, V.elbourne, C. 2 . , Austral.ia. COMMONWEALTH COMMONWEALTH SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL D IV ISION OF RADIOPHYSI lllfGJAIIIII COUt i .U(M t\'ONU TELUHONo IIW UU Rt:FI:J TO The Rt. Hon. R. G. casey, OM, CH, nso, MC, Minister in Charge of c . s . I . R. O., commonwealth Offices, Treasury Place, MELBOURNE, C. 2 , Victoria. MY near Minister, am writing in reply to your two letters of January 4th and 24th on flying saucers. I read them and the enclosures with great interest, but I must admit that I was rather at a loss for comment on the despatches from France and Italy. It was, however, very amusing to see that the main reaction in France was a ribald one. I did not entirely understand the theory of electro-magnetic propulsion expounded by Lt. Planti e r in Paris - Presse l'Intransigeant but, like the views of Mr. W. B. Smith in Keyhoe' s "Flying saucers f ran outer space", they savour very much of doing work without the expenditure of power. This is an age-old fallacy or, to put it in rather different terms, propulsion by thes e means violates all the physical laws as we know them. latest letter with comments from Brundrett I found much easier going and most heartily agree with the pointe he makes. There are j ust too many physical inconsistencies in the reports to put much faith in them. The difficulty is that they point in so many d1rect1ons at once, not in a single direction. Also I agree with Brundrett that given enough time and finance it mi ght be possible to build a body with some of the characteristics of a flying saucer. It might even be persuaded to make excursions outside the atmosphere, but the energy expenditure would be simply enormous and no-one woul d be l eft in any doubt that it was around. sincerely, (E. G. BOVIen) CHIEF OF THE DIVISION p . s . I am returning the enclosures to you r letters of January 4th and 24th. In re,..J please RESTRICT m ROYAL Al'S'!'RALIAN AIR FORCE Headquarters nome co~ru:md, Penri th 1 . I NeYI South tales l~th nece ber 1953 commonrealth Scientific and Industrial rtesearch Oruanization, University arounds, City Road, Chippcn ale. TFJLEC01Tt:U1'IICATIONS AND RA~AR lillOMALOl'S PROPAGATION 1. Advice has been received from the R. A. A. F . Units at ~illlamtown of a phunomcnon Hhich is being obse1ved on the frequency of 2800 megacycles, thi frequency being used by the Ground cont1olled Approach equipment. 2 . The pheno enon t kes the form of strong echoes sinil ~ to radar returns frOM heavy cloud for tiona but no cloud formation hfls been vieil: le ut the time the echoes have been observed. The tarcot oves in any direct on irr = active of uind snd ln nany csses has been observed to move in a direction aga~nst the lind. Ch nges in shape similar to cloud formations take place and are clearly observed to a radius of 10 miles. 3 . The actual heights to which the echoes rise is unlmovm l)ut is believed to be belO"i/ 5000 feet, as a tilt of 5 de;rees of the search antenna causes severe attenuation of the signals in icating tho target to be at low levels. E<;hoes seen on the Precioion Indicators show the targot to be from ground level to approximately 2000 4 . It ~1ould appear the turget has 1nter.nal movement u::; it shows up brilliantly v1hen the !'oving Target In icator Sy tern is in operation, although its relative movement to or from tho !C)ro md installation is very sloVI, on occasions being less than 2 miles per hour. 5 . several times aircraft have been vectored on to tho area in which the phenomenon has been observed but pilots have reported nothing unusual. A number of landings have been made through the phenomenon but no abnorJal ef~ects were observed by all concerned. 6 . The possibility of dust being the couee is rejected as visibility has been uxcellent except in one instance when pilot reported haze whilst looking for tho tar et. 7 . The mutter \7as discussed with the e 1bers of the Meteorological Branch at 'lill.i.amtown who can advunce no possible cmtse for the phenonenon. a. Tho rnt tter is referred for your information and it wottld be appreciated if any solution cun be of1'ered by your Deportment. ( J'. I . BLACK) Group capt d.n for Offir.er Te 1 orarily commanding Dear Dr. Bcmon, Cotll!lon\'tenlth Offices, Treasury Place, ~LP01JRI{ 24th January, 1955. I enclose n latter rrom our External Affairs Minister 1n London -L. R. Uclntyre -about tttly1ng I think ~ou may find this on intere:lting lottcr -and it l~aches tho saoo conclusion as yourself. I \'iOUld be gr.:t teful to have 1 t back when you have had a loolt ot it, I am going today up to Sydney for two or thrco days -and I may eivo you a call on the telephone -altho~gh my time up thoro is fairly well :r.ortan_ged in advance. 1ith bast wishes -I am, sincerely, (R. G. CASL'Y). Dr. r:.o. Dcr.ton,t Chief or the D1vis1onGot Radiophysics, c.s.I.R.o., university G ds, SYDNLJY. n.s ,E . AUSTRALIAN EXTERNAL AFFAIRS OFFICE. lrt r~p/y quole No. AUSTRAUA HOUSE, OON. W.C.Z. Personal & Confidential 12th Janunry, 1955. A:.y enquiries in respect of your letter of 9th November last, asking whether any responsible people over here were taking flying saucers seriously, have ultimately led me to ~ir .rrederick Brundrett, Scientific Adviser to the Minister of Defence and (I am told) a Anowledgeable and authoritative figure in the eyes of the United Kingdom Chiefs of Staff. I had previousl y made some sotmdings at the senior service level, and have been given to understand that, so far as was known, flying saucers were not taken seriously here and no special research VI8.S being carried out to try to find a siq>le explanation for these phenomena (as the Americans are reported to be doing). At the same time I was told that if by any chance anything was being done here, Brundrett would be bound to know about it. Brundrett is from all accounts a person you yourself might be interested in meeting. In addition to being hibhJ.y regarded as a scientist, with long experienc e as an adviser to all the ciervioes at various times, he is I believe a successful farmer, who breeds Red Poll s and makes his farm pay by scientific methods. lie is certainly agreeable and pleasant to meet, He told me that he had as a oatter of fact made something of a stu:ly of the problem himself in an effort to lay a ghost, as it 'l"'ere. He says that as stories of sightings of flying saucers accumulated he himself refused to be completely sceptical and decided to make first of all a careful study of all available visual "evidence". This study, covering a large number of reported sightings extending over the past 30 years or so, revealed two things that struck him as curious: (a) on no single occasion has a reported sighting b"en verified by an independent eye witness in another position. In other words, a report from an aircraft crew has never been verified by another aircraft or from an observer on the ground; and observations fraa the ground, even men claimed by several persoos in one position, have never been supported by observers situated elsewhere. (b) every case so far reported has lent itself to at least one possibl e rational explanation -meteorological in a good many cases. Brundrett is particularly impressed by (a); he feels that, with so many reports now avaiJa.ble, it is almost inconceivable that there should hav e been no independent testimony in at least one of them. He finds it difficult to accept the possibility that the kind of thing periodicall y reported by pilots could not at least saueti es be seen at various places on the ground. On the whole, therefore, he has reached the conclusion that there is nothing in the f lying saucer theory. But he has not entirely discarded the possibility that such things may exist. He believes that the kind of thing pilots tl1ink they h.ave seen is a feasible mechanical proposition which could be manufactured on the basis of monern scientific knowledge -i f it were considered worth making. It would be difficult, and also expensive; but it co1.Ud be made, and it could travel very fast. I asked hir. whether it would in fac ~ be worth making, and whether it would have any mechanical or strategic /advantages advantages over any flying cachine produced up to the present. Brundrett said it could have distinct advantages. One might imagine an advanced development of the Rolls-Royce "flying bedstead" which caused a lot of interest at last year' s Farnborough Air Display. In other woriis, it might provide a solution to the problem of vertical take-off for super-sonic aircraft. Since in fact such a nachine could be manufactured, one must not completely dismiss the possibility that it was already in existence; but he himself thought this highly unlikely. Another conceivable explanation of the phenomenon was the possible presence of small satellites rocketing round the earth at, of course, a very high level. He by no means ruled out the possibility that, with the developnent of nuclear energy, ::~uch "satellites" could be created artificially. The idea had been tho~t about in America. Vlho c auld say that things of this sort, created naturally, and moving so fast as to be normally invisible from the ground, might not already be in existence? It was a faintly possible explanation of the saucer theory, though he did not really accept it. In short, he did not believe that f'l;ing saucers ex is ted, and considered that all reports so far received, even though emanating from many sane and responsible people, had been based on one or[other form of hallucination. Nor :lees he consider that the available evidence is enough to ,justify the setting aside of money and resources for serious study. But he has by no means closed his mind completely. I am still continuing my search for the photograph of WavellfStump that you enquired about longer ago than I care to think. 1 y early enquiries got nowhere, and I am afraid :. have not followed them up as pertinaciously a.a I might have, 1ut I am still trying, and we may get somewhere. Rt. Hon. R. G. Casey, CH, DSO, ~C, ~inister for External Affairs, Canberra, A. C. T. ( ...... rt. Jrcintyre) F'LYING SAUCERS Co~nuoalth Off1cc3, Treasury Place, l:\E!LBOURiiE, c .. 2 ., 4th January, 1955'. I enclose a nucbor or letters rom our posts about ''FlyL"'ll; Saucors". If you have any comcent on them, I ' d be intorestod to Yours sincerely, ( R. G. CASEi). Dr. E. G. Bowen, Division of Radiophysice, University Grounds, sxnum:. tt.s .r:. P. S . Would you please let me have the attached papers back with your reply. AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY, ..-J 21st December 1954. Your letter of 9th November reached me when I in London. Soon after, Paul McGuire talked to me about flying saucers, and asked me whether there had been any particular interest in them in France. I told him there had been a certain number of reports, but I thought they had been treated rather derisively. There, in London, I found a certain amount of interest in some quarters, and t here have been one or two books produced. A rather reliable friend of mine told me that a friend of his in the Air Force, when he was flying a jet, saw one flying alongside him. It went ahead, then came back straight at him, but before colliding swerved and went over him. Unfortunately, he did not press the trigger which would have put his camera gun into operation, but the radar had recorded the saucer and, I understand, it has recorded many others -but then the radar will also record heavy cloud formations. One interesting thing I was told was that flying saucers have been reported in Europe since the Middle Ages that there are various references to them in the chronicles of that time. I cannot give you references but no doubt the National Library would oroduce them. Recent ones seem to be of two types -cigars or saucers, and there is a theory that the cigar launches the saucers. As far as France is concerned, unidentified flying objects (u.f.o.) have been seen or detected 1n the past by many people in widely separated parts of France, but the period mid-September to late October of this year was an open season (about 500 reports), Discs of all shapes and sizes, strange objects landing in lonely fields, little men in space suits, with "ray guns" and many other familiar complements to science fiction were claimed as having been At first, the reports in the Press were presented relatively seriously, but, as the fashion developed and tbe claims became more fantastic, the Press took up the game and they became a national joke. For this reason it is impossible to disentangle fact from s peculation and true reports from sensational fantasies. Apart from a Flying 4 Chevaux" (t.enault), and an illuminated "Flying Pumpkin", chased by some villagers in the Pyrenees, the objects described appeared to fall into two main groups: saucers and cigars. It is possible that they may refer to the one and same object depending on the angle The Rt. Hon. R.G. Casey, C. H. Minister of State for External affairs, Canberra. A.C.T. of vision. They are supposed to resemble two saucers placed rum to rim with port-holes on top; the reported diameter varied from 10 ft. to 50 ft. or more; they could remain stationary in mid-air and then move noiselessly at very high speed either horizontally or vertically; they are alleged to be capable of suddenly changing course whilst in flight, and it is possible that this operation would account for the variously coloured lighting effects described. It would seem probable that by far the greater number of genuine u . f . o . seen could be accounted for by meteorological balloons, experimental guided missiles, research aircraft, etc. However, in company with the United States, Canada, and perhaps other countries, France has considered the problem sufficiently disturbing to create a special commission of enquiry to investigate the more serious reports. The findings, if any, have not to our knowledge been revealed, but I will endeavour to obtain the report of the special committee of enquiry and let you have it. A certain number (perhaps less than 5 per cent) of u . f . o . reports describe machines which could absolutely not be accounted for by conventional mechanics, and the power of which would have to exceed by far even the biggest jet or rocket motors to account for alleged performances. French book was published on the subject a few weeks before the last outbreak: Lueur sur les Soucoupes Volantes by Aim~ Hichel. It provides various accounts of u.f.o. reports since the end of the war and, in particular, in France up to the summer of 1954, and goes into consider- able detail in providing various possible explanations. A theory that the u.f.o. are propelled electro-magnetically has been put forward by a certain Lieutenant Plantier of the French Air Force. This seems to be particularly favoured by the author, who does not rule out the possibility that they may be of extra-terrestrial origin. Scientific opinion in this country is generally sceptical, but there are nevertheless several intelligent and informed persons who have been sufficiently concerned about the u . f . o . reports to state that they are retaining an open mind on the subject. Even so, to my knmvledge, u.f.o . have not become a subject for serious dinner conversations am sending a copy of this letter to Paul McGuire as he is interested in the subject. 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[email protected] dix ans des satellites artificiels encercleront la terre rtresldent dt Ia Soci~t~ britannlquor interplanetaire, le Dr Shepherd, a declare au congres du 21' anniversaire de Ia societe, dans Je courant de la prochaine decade des satellites artl:ti- commencer l dkrire leur orbile autour <to globe WTe!rtre . creation de cea sa~ellitcs. a-t-Il alllrme. cno~ltuera la pre- mitre etape dan.. !'organisation des voyages inlerplani!talres. Avant d e se lancer dans le vide lnterastral, il est, en eftel, neceESllfre de recuefllir ainsi un erand oombre d'observatlons. Le prefet de police de Vienne surveille les soucoupes volantes VIENNJ:, 18 octobre !Reuter). -M. Holaubek, prMet de police de Vlenne, a ordonne aux agents se trouvant sous ordres d'eta blir un rapport sur toutes les aUalres de soucoupe, volantes et su.r toutes lea dl!claratloru d,. personnes afflrmant avoir vu c des vf&l teun d'un autre monde Le pr~ct lnalste, dans une clrculalrc, sur le fall qu'un tell n1>n Mltra!ne peut aiaement conlondre un balion-sonde avec une sott- Voici ce que vous devez savoir s1 /'on vous en parle ou si vous en << voyez JJ une ... SEULS DES SUPER-EINSTEIN P.OURRAIENT CONSTRUIRE DES SOUCOUPES VOLANTES 'HOMI\JE qui le premier imagina des soucoupes volantcs {ut sans doute Jonathan Swift, !'auteur des Voyages de Gulliver .Swift (1667-1745) decrit dans un de ses ouvrages l'iJe volante de Laputa qui flotte dans