DEPMTMENT OF THE MINUTE PAPER Referring to statements that ":flying saucers" had been reported by a Naval aircraft, the Minister for the Navy (Mr. Francie) stated today that it wae a fact that during a night cross country flight from the R.A.N. Air Station at Nowra on 31st. August, last the pilot of a Naval aircraft, flying at 13, 000 feet;had observed lights on his radar with vague shapes beneath. The lights had passed ahead of him at a very fast speed. He wae at the time flying at a speed of 220 knots. The pilot had contacted Nowra and advised them. It was later ascertained that the only other aircraft in the vicinity was a T.A.A. Convair. The report was passed by Naval Intelligence to R. A. A. I<'. Intelligence in accordance with the usual procedure for dealing with reports of such a nature. reports are collated and examined at R. A.A.F. Headquarters. The l.linis ter The report in yesterday's Melbourne Herald re "Saucers" is shown as being sent from Nowra by E. H. Cox. is a further statement in an early Herald today 16th. December shown as having been originated at Sydney and another in a later edition originating in Canberra. The latter says that the naval pilot who is alleged to have reported the "Saucers" is believed to be Lieutenant R. O'Farrell. J. A. 0 'Farrell. It was in ~act Lieutenant The original report was sent b,y Nowra to the Director of Naval Intelligence in Melbourne on 2nd. September, 1954 and was passed to the Director of Air Force Intelligence who apparently collates such reports. Nothing developed from The report from Lieutenant O'Farrell read as follows :- "I have the honour I was indicating 220 knots." It was ascertained that the only a1rcra~t in the area at the time was a T.A.A. Convair on a Northerly course. THOSE SAUCERS BAFFLE NAVY EXPERTS \ SYDNEY, Today. -Naval authorities admitted today that they cannot find any "human sourceu for the "flying recorded on a radar screen at Nowra. At the same lim! tht\l the saucers were seen on lhe screen a Sea Fury pilol reported saucer- sbapes Daah\ng p a s t Authortui!S lla1 e con- firmed the t the pllot was "a man of experience." They sa.ld !.hey had tn \'estigated "every human source" bul could not lo~! ca.~: explain the shopes. Tne-mystery or the $ha.pe~ Is locked away tn Na1at t!Jes Top-secret 1 ProfeMOr Messell. o( Sydney Unlven;1ty, said today th!ll !lying uePra Jeemed to be a top-secret mll1tarY experiment "No one Is s~ppld enough to belte1e tney come from outlll' E{!ace- l but lhey cou)d be a mill- \"l!lopmenL." Ill! 1 dey thtt~ a Qmtfd State~; sa.ld Atr Forcl" offic1?.1 hilt;! l<'~ld "There hal'e l)een 1>0 him nylm: M\ICer! did not many re~ru l'rom ordln-com~! from outtr ISJ)ace. nrily l'rbabte people that The President MUd tlus there could b~> oomethinll at a Pre~ conference HI' Ln (hem did not ay v.:hethl't be ln WAS RINTON. Prelot thou~<ht fiylm: 6tlill.'l'rs dent Eis!'nho\Jitr said tO-e,.;l~ted. ~avy ~adar wo saucers Frotn E. H . COJ:. -NOWR.A, Todily. -Two objects, believed to be f lying uuccrs, have been recorded by radar 1t the Nowra naval air station. This WAll re''Palr.d the Mlnl~tf'r !or 1 he Navy, Mr: Francl.o;, visited the ~taLion Loday. A mnAl ptlot. nnn~t o F\ngJr~I"D.tl/1' fi~tll !'T from Csnbern lA'> Nowra JU~I idLer d~.rk A rPw dnys 11'!<'1 WM .fnined In th~ alr h) t11-o ~tra!Uf" a lrcmf~ r.,_ sernbhn~ saucer~. He railed Nowra Rlt r,n. trol to ~Me him tw rlldRr No-.ra rrported that ll'lt' r~dar senen showed tbn!r: alrC!r'aJl Ryinr; tn~eethf'r. ThP. OIIVIli PIIOL idr.ntl tlf'd \'llm~t'l t h\ l'lef'CU tln$! mQVementt; In soc11rdance with !'II r e r. ~Inn a f ro!'ll .NOV.'l'll MUCH FASTER HI! lAIN' n~ported lhll~ tlll' t\m 1tnl11rntlflnd nb teet.~: whlch nrw tn rom jlan!l 1\'lth hlm ftlr 5om" t.tmr werP much rut.er th" n hi~ Sell I"ur;v nght.er R1 'rr.onnl nf lhl' \Ub ~e<tuent mov~enl or thel mr~terloua mach1nf'1! wao ru1lv r.nrrobOJat.ed b~ radar recordJs a I Nowra Nn nth~t p!anP5 fa!;l ~nom::h to kee)l cnmpa.nY with SPil l"Urr ,.,.~l"f' kn6wn tn b" in the-~res Rt the ttm~ Tht 1dCJlt1ty ~>f t.he fllYI\ INf'>U~ mnohtnl'ti ha~ not bten dt~ovPrPd 1 conlira~ed MINISTER SAYS Canberra, Thursday MR. FRANCIS, Navy Minister, tonight confirmed the sensational "flying saucers" report by a Royal Australian Navy pilot in The Argus yesterday. Mr. Francis said the pilot, in a Sea Fury, observed " two lights on his rador with vague shapes underneath" as he flew 13,000ft. above Goulb"rn, N .S.W. Official secre cy which had surrounded the sight ing far thre e mo nths was broke n when Mr. Francis and a group of Pressmen the Nowra I N .S.W.I naval statian- H.M.A.S. Albatross. T be 1\tlnist~r stHil: "It Is a. racl tb~L on a nigh t cross-country flight rrom Nowra o n August 31, a pilot In a Sea Fury at 13,000 fed above Ooulbum -observed two lights on bis radar, wit'h ,ag-ue 5bapes underneath . "The Jit'bts passed ahead of him at n very fast Speed as he flew at 2ZO knots (j~t under 25o m.p.h.). "'l'be pfiot made contact with N11wrn and advisetl them. "It was latet Mcertalned tbat the only other aircrnft In ~he vlcittit;y was a T.A.A. Convair "Thl& wa~ pa&ed. by Naval IntelUgenee to R.A.A.F lnlelllg\'nc,.," said Mr. Fnlncla. The pilot LS b~hevect Lo b1' Lteur Pnant O'F!IrreJJ, formerly of Sydney, now slatloned Experienced N~<vat alrmert tH Nowra dfl! count Lhe po,l;slblllcy tha~ !.he shapes were UttatHhorl'led airllJ'II rt. ,~1 THOSE SAUCERS~-THE MYSTERY DEEPENS CANBERRA, Today. -The nanl pilot who was "bussed" by two "flying uuccrs" is believed to be Lieuten- ant R. O'Farrell, of Sydney. But the authorities have not officilly revealed the pilot's name. fhl., t; pari n! I hP. Rill <ffir:cra AI No" r~ Wt11::11 h,. ll!lllf111 IO 'hu~b-hu~h .,;urroundln NBW, ""Vl\l atr "tallon t>a.sr h1 ar('OIIII~ ot the lh" lhJec-monlb-old "hr.tn l.hc "Rucer~ .,. ... ,e mmtm"nt.& ol th@ (?o oh- saur.cr incident lmr !'d on a radrtr ~re,.n. Jeclt. agrc,..d \\ llh l.hc mdar Thu huali-hUHh '''eatl!llnr'r cert"ln thP.t t-..o ob rcpon !hal et1.hPr tbr. IDt!tclent II Naml :IUthontll'.; Md- nn~ bpln;: lrPJitr:d 5erlnutiY JerUJ "ere n!!llr the plio! nutirrl tortay that tlJf'V or It 1.s under t nve.'itlga-1 Thl& 1~: a clrar "'ue In c'lUitl no~ hnd anY"hllDlllil lion whtch .. obJccUJ" ha1.1.1 ~rn &ourrc" for .LhP. objcc~ lildcpt>ndcmlv recorded, !or I he radnr licrrrn ;u~re<1 exnctly with the pilot .s r.e- The pUnt, fparJnJ; t hat hco mlht l>f' "ran:f'(l" In tbt war!lrnnm nn h 1, rf'- turn If he abruptly rf'port ft fl ylnr ""'u . ral lrtl N'rt" ra h.'' rn.dlo and ~krtl '' hJ'thr r I hr radar !'ICrt'tn horHrl hi~ nlrrrall,. Ur. tae IL, J!ll>ltlnn. rr,. TPCI'tvrd "' rrrlv 1 hat I he s(rccn sho"ed thrae Nnwra Wert h m 1,o manoeuvre .., I h~t! hP: r:nuld br. ldr..nllfl"d Rn d1d ahd J;OL ~ np1~ ldcnttrpm: hi& j)(>"IIIOil .H,. clle kPd 1 hr .,ub&r- (1\ICIIL mn1i~'!'nt o1 the m~-:;t.enr.ru:; nlrl'.ra!!. Kavylinds ... wo "flying saucers" have been recorded by radar at Nowra (N.S.W.) naval air station. Naval officers at Canberr and Nowra confirmed this last night. They said that the "saucers" flew longside a Navy fighter plane and were traced on t be radar screen before dis- appearing. Tbe "saucers'~ iden- tity Is still a mystery. In Brisbane late tas nlght. lhe Minister for the .Navy, Mr. F rancis, said: "TI:lls matter ball not been mention ed to me. I wtll order an 1m- mediate l.nvesUgauon. The saucers appeared three mo~ths ago when a navy pilot was ftytng a single -sealer fighter from Canberra to Nowra. Just after dink lha pilot saw two strpnge aircraft tiylng nearby. lie told Nowra air control about the mys- tery objects. Then three aircraft fiying togethe r showed up on the radar Nowra d lreet ed the pilot. lO execute cer tain movements to ldenUfJ He did so and t he gradually dre"\f away and vanished. All the n1ovemenls were confirmed on the radar screen . Secret 'rili weapons? ~ In Canberra last nlghl senior Atr F orce omcers warned t hat many "fly- Ing saucers" were ll.k.ely Lo be reporLed l.n lhe noxt few weekS. They said tbn t \.ttl.' sa would be guided aircr aft and projectiles. But they refused to confirm or deny thali expe.rlmenls bad been made wttb these vro- jecLnes on the coasl. Fiying Saucers" have been re- I ported by a Naval pilot-and plotted on radar-over Goulburn, 60 miles from Canberra. The pilot reported he had seen the "saucers" flash past his Sea Fury at supersonic speed. The t-lavy report is the first authenticated information in the world of the existenee of " flying 11aucers." But officials revealed yesterday that the incident occurred three months ago. A Navy pilot then reported to Nowra Naval air station that he flad seen two unidentified objects overtake his aircraft. When he saw the objects he asked the air station radar control to check their screens. The radar officers then reported back that they could see three objects on the radar screens in- cluding the Seo Fury. In a report to senior naval a._thorities, the radar oHicers said Tl they were unable to identify the bt two other objects on the radar te screen. Cl ' The pilot's report said he was ftyln~r oter Gaul- burn at U,OOO feet when be saw two llrbted ob- jeGt s ftash past. He said they easily passed h!a Sea Fury pro-I peller -driven fighter which was capable o1 .ftyl.ng at le11.$t 450 m.p.h. The "Uo~ repqrteQ the IJl cldrnt to Nowra radar oi!j- cers about 9.80 11.tn.. and radar omcera. llttl!r a cbecli.. revealed tbal th~re ~ D(l other a.lrcratt In the vtclrucy t. that ttme. Navy pUota at Nowra ancl sco n tor Na ''1 men !lecla.re they are pualed by the .e The pllota, many o r them 1 wiili ~-oll'lbst e:rpertmc:e tn Kol'l!ll. dl!N:oUJlt the pombll- llY that the IWO objlll:'~ could hAve been Ullii.Utbor ised al~t. e ContJnuod l'o'" Pag f , tn t.~Jlk arnons th-het~ they reru to th~ "ftylnlt 5li-Uter tnallient," but, be ell u~ of the "i.Op lii!CI'I't" clll.&s'lnc:a~lon or the lnclclf'tll. news of thto orcurrence hu been kept ttom the puouo. R.eporta or the OOull:mrn l'fowro lnddenl are believed to have been &enL to tnl..t- Ugence 11-nd technical bi'IUl c:hl'.'l of aU three serv~. The repprt foltnWi> simllnr rePQrts over ~be put yenr by sen1ce and ctvlllan piiGt;o~ 1 and by d~lltns who h!\ve re-portlld nrango obJecta ov11r :MelboHtnc a lld other EUI Au!iffttl.\sn a.roas. There 1. now o ~1~1 c orcle:r to Navy and :a A.A F . Y pilo~ to wtO t.ell r ... r untdllnll tied :l'lylng nbje~t~. a It L bt!Ue\'ed the.t a spe a crlai '1\'lltch has b;!fon ln~ll e tut.ed on Rll ratiM aJar!on' r; ln A~tralln. ~ TI TLE Of OF FI CE.R TO 'NHOM F0RWARDED. INJ TIP.LS. R~oipients pleA3~ sideline points a f CO FIDENTIAL 301ot lwtll ~ at\aob.ecl repor~ t'orfll'ded b7 the Oaaaaad1q Ott1eer, R.A.N. Air Gt t1on, NQWra, are pa lied t'or l~or.l1oe. IDVesti.aation by tbis D1Y1s1oD baa ehawn Ulats Lieutenant orarrell la an ent1rel7 oredible rti tueea. Wltne aaw e 15t .ith t h e ltpte, but aa unable t o d1e t tcsu1h 8ll7 1'orm. (111) It a olear atul1t utgbt 1tb uo moon. (1) Witoetra WWJ Y1s1b17 'ebnkenu by hie exper1enoe, but rema1na adamant \bat be them objeata. !bere waa ao queetloD ot oalluelou betweeu Ule two wlta 1'bere were oo BaYal or Air l'oroe a1r- craft lu lbe .... at tbe t1ue, but there wu a ~.A.A. Oo~air at 14 ,ooo ;teet OD a &Utb.erl7 oourH. Hawal Intelligence Diwiaiou, let october 1954. OQifiD)lh'I.Y,, 0---.ntUna Ot't'ioer, R. A, K, Air Statton, <MBA u.s.v. QIIDSN'l'IflEl> 0 Your letter 281/l of 6th SeptaQDcr, tcgsther wl ttl enoloaurea, was torwa.rded on to me by' Oap taia (Air), 2. It la ad~1aed that the reports h~ne been paaaed to tbe 0.-.ittea whioh bal been ae~t up to oona1der euoh repOrt fte C..U. ttee deairea to expteaa 1 te thana tor aaab a well authentloated a1gbt1Qg. ~fL. Mam8) Rlnotor ot lfaYel Intell1geqo (R. A. N. ir Station, ~o~ra's lette1 No. 281/1 dated 6 Se_te ber, The Director of Naval !ntelle_encc, Na1y Off lee, For ardf'd for nrorl ation . . co. y f my re 1! to the Ca.t 'n, .s. :or, i 1 o nc o d . Of ice of Ca_tsi ( :.r,, R. A . N . Air Stati GO ~FJ E TIAl ctommonwealtb of ~ ustr alia. lltpartllU'ttl of l~t Nally. !\opal Qlustra!ian jlabp . The attao~ed repo u are for rded for infor t~on. ~. It ;auld be of interest to mow if any R a .ta. F . o.ircraf't were ope!'etin in the vic!.nity o-: GoulbU!"n e.t t_.:..~ e.:. t at thi~ t~. ~. !~o .1uval air:}raft tere .:..n the vicinity. ~itb reference to your letter 281/1 dated 6 September, 1954, t t bas been ascertained that thet \'iere no . . F . aircrc.f't in the v1c1n1t,y at ttl ttme b'lt that a Oonv !r belonging to Z. A. A. oa in that area at 14000 ft. on a Uortherl,y course. 2. ircrew should b briefed t o report by v . n . F. any unusual s 1gnt1n_s on future occasions 1n ord r to eeeiet in identiflc&tlon with the minimum delay. GO FIDE TIA GONFIDENTIAL 723 Squadron, R.A.N. Air Station, Nowra, 6C, 2nd September, 1954 INCIDENT ON NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY AT 1900K 31st AUGUST, t954 I have the honour to submit the following report concerning an incident which occurred on 31st August during a night erose country flight from R.A. N Air Station, Nowra 2. The route was Nowra -Young -Temora -Yeas - Nowra, and the briefed height 13,000 feet. 3 At 1858 I made the following position report to Civil ~ Air Radio Canberra, "Ausnav 921 contact Yaes at 13, 000 feet~ estimating Nowra at 1920. This was acknowledged by Canberra, and, when South West of Goulburn, I changed over to 143.64 m(cs, 723 Squairon exercise frequency, and contacted Nowra 4 After contacting Nowra at approximately 1910, I noticed a very bright light closing fast from ~One o'clock". This br1ght light crossed ahead ot me and oont1naeo to a position on my port beam where it appeared to orbit. At the same time I noticei a second and"eimilar light at "Nine o'clock-, which made a peas about a mile ahead of me and then turned in the position where the f'irst light was sighted. 5 I contacted Nowra and asked if they had me on radar, hoping they would confirm that other aircraft were in the vicinity. They replied that they had 3 echoes and aivieed me to turn 18oP (Course), to be identified if I required a homing. At thia stage the two bright lights reformed at "Nine o'clock", trorn me end disappeared on a North Easterly heading. 6. I saw no other lights and was only able to make out a shape with the white light situated centrally on top. Their apparent crossing speed was the fastest that I have ever exper- ienced, and at the time I was iniicating 220 knots;===== The Captain, R.A. N. Air Station, Nowra, 60, I have the honour to be, Your obedient servant, J .,A. O'FARRELL LIB NANT R.A.N Enclosure: Statement by Petty Officer (R.P.I. ) JESSOP. CONFID!: ~ fiAL At 1907 aircraft 921 call ed up and asked if we ha him on raaar. A:f'ter checking G.C.I. remote display, we f oun that two paints appeared on the display approx- imately 280 degrees 32 miles. After about 15 seconds another paint appeared in the same vicinity. One appeared to be tracking towards base, the others in a North Easterly Ciirection. About two minutes later we told 921 to fly 180 iegrees if he wanted a bearing, ao we coali identify him. Hie repl y was "Negative, s o we did not track the paints any farther. Signed. K.E. JESSOP. Petty Orficer R.P.I. QNFIDENTIAl TITLE OF OFFICER TO 1.JH0,1 FOR JARD'ED. TIUTI.n.L('". Recipient s please sideline points of CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL Naval Staff Office, FR.I!If!ANTLE. W. A . Director or Naval Intelligence, Naval Intelligence Division, Navy Office, HELBOURNE. S. C.l. FLYING SAUCER REPORT. report has been received from Ur. E. G. Walker, Postmaste r Denmark, W. A., a member of the Coastwatchera, that an object was recently seen in the sky near Denmark by Mr. E. R. Tonkinson, postal clerk, and his wife. Details are as follows :- 8.15p. m. Wednesday 9th June, 1954. w. s.w. of Denmark Townsite W. A. Description The object was reported to be slightly larger than a Star and was seen low in the sky, just clear of a hill. It moved backwards and forwards without changing altitude and changed colour from Green to Blue, Red and White. After five minutes it disappeared rapidly below the 2 . No local R. A.A.F. aircraft was in the vicinity at the time. The matter has been reported to the R. A. A. F. Intelligenca Officer who intends forwarding a questionnaire to Mr. Tonkinson. NAVAL OFFICER IN CHARGE. WEST AUS'l'RALIAN AREA.