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This file, from NICAP and CUFOS, collects US Air Force Office of Special Investigations records from 1949 on a Project Grudge special inquiry into a sighting at Rogue River, Oregon, on 24 May 1949. NACA Ames Laboratory employees Gilbert Rivera and Don Heaphy described a silvery pancake-shaped object about 30 feet across that sped off like a jet. An annotated analysis that follows rejects the radar kite explanation and concludes that the case must remain unexplained.
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19D OSI 24-14 DETAILS (cont'd) 3. (cont'd) Oregon, in a boat anchored approximately midstream, about the same distance East of the town of Gold Beach, Oregon, an object was sighted about 5000 feet above the ground in a direction approximately 60° reading clockwise from North. Object appeared to be about 1 to 2 miles away. Mr. HEAPHY observed the object about 30 seconds with the naked eye at which time he could see only a bright glitter, like a round mirror standing on edge with no apparent motion. Just as the object began to move, RIVERA handed HEAPHY a pair of 8-power Navy type binoculars through which HEAPHY viewed the object. With the binoculars the object resolved into a pancake-like shape, somewhat thicker in the center than in the edges, perfectly flat on the bottom with a small fin or vane arising about midship and growing gradually higher to the rear ending flush with a trailing edge as the object traveled. Flat surface was parallel to earth. The object appeared to be made of metal, aluminum or some other shiny metal, and while it appeared oval it could have been perfectly round in plan section. There appeared to be no opening or protuberances of any sort other than the fin already described. Object appeared to be 25 to 30 feet in diameter. It was traveling in a southeasterly direction, about 170° clockwise from North. It executed no manuevers; no lights, no propellers, no landing gear or any method of propulsion that could be seen or heard. There were no clouds and the sun was at HEAPHY's back at the time of sighting. The trailing edge of the object as it traveled appeared to be somewhat wrinkled and dirty looking. HEAPHY ventured that these might have been vents but said he could not see them well enough to say for sure. With HEAPHY and RIVERA in the boat at time of sighting was Mrs. ROY McBETH, wife of a druggist at Ione, California; Mrs. WILLIAM McBETH, wife of a Standard Oil distributor at Gold Beach, Oregon; and Mrs. GILBERT RIVERA. NOTE: Mr. HEAPHY and Mr. RIVERA stated that their attention was drawn to the object by its glittering as at the time they were engaged in looking upstream to see if they could spot any feeding fish on the surface. It appeared to this agent that RIVERA was a very reliable person, not at all easily excited; in fact, prone to be rather blase or indifferent. HEAPHY appeared to be a sober, well rounded person, very mature and not easily swayed by someone else's opinion. UNCLE SIFIED
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