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Declassified UFO / UAP Document

Maralinga Project: General Policy & Administration

📅 15 July 1960 📍 Wewak area, near Maralinga Village 🏛 Weapons Research Establishment 📄 File cover and correspondence
MaralingaUnidentified Flying ObjectAtomic Weapons Proving GroundDepartment of Supply1960 Sighting

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AI-Generated Summary

TL;DR

This file documents administrative operations at the Maralinga Proving Ground, including the investigation of an unidentified aerial phenomenon reported in July 1960. The investigation concluded that the light could not be positively identified, suggesting possibilities ranging from a meteor to a satellite component.

This file, titled 'Maralinga Project: General Policy & Administration', documents various administrative and operational matters related to the Maralinga Proving Ground in South Australia between 1956 and 1968. The file contains correspondence regarding the establishment of the site, financial arrangements between the Australian and United Kingdom governments, and routine administrative tasks such as the provision of trees for area beautification and the assignment of chaplains. A significant portion of the file concerns the investigation of an unidentified light observed in the Wewak area on 15 July 1960. Multiple witnesses, including constables and technical staff, reported seeing a white light travelling from East to West that turned red and was accompanied by two loud bangs. Security Officer J.J.A. Hanlon conducted an investigation, interviewing witnesses and consulting with scientific personnel. Various theories were proposed, including a meteor, static electricity ('St. Elmo's fire'), or a satellite component. Despite extensive inquiries, the source of the light could not be positively identified. The file also includes documentation regarding the downgrading of the file's security classification from Secret to Restricted in 1985.

Mr. Oliver Harry Turner, Health Physics Officer, who possesses an inquiring mind, made an independent investigation and extensive calculations. He is of the opinion that the light was not the result of a natural phenomenon but caused by an unidentified flying object; either a cone from a satellite or a 'flying saucer.'

Official Assessment

The light was the result of either a meteor or static electricity.

The investigation into the light seen on 15 July 1960 concluded that it was not a natural phenomenon but possibly a satellite cone or a 'flying saucer', though meteor or static electricity were also considered.

Witnesses

Key Persons

Organizations

Military Units