Documents / Hearing transcript
This is the printed transcript of an April 5, 1966 hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services on unidentified flying objects. Air Force Secretary Harold Brown testified that 9,501 of 10,147 sightings from 1947 through 1965 had been identified and that no threat or extraterrestrial evidence had been found. The record includes the Scientific Advisory Board ad hoc committee report recommending university studies and the Air Force's marsh gas explanation for the Dexter and Hillsdale, Michigan sightings. Members also questioned J. Allen Hynek and Maj. Hector Quintanilla about the Exeter, New Hampshire case.
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6054 come from (three) individuals." Names of two civilians are given; third was a police officer from Tulsa, not named. "Tinker Air Force Base has had from one to four of them on radar at a time, and they advise they are flying very high, at approximately 22,000 feet, which seems to coincide with the visual sightings, all of which are 'very high flying objects.'" Other reports came in the night of August 1. The sheriff's office at Chandler reported two UFO's. Two individuals—names given—spotted a UFO between Norman and Purcell. "Tinker AFB looking at it—or attempting to do so at this time with radar—Wichita Falls, Tex., also notified to look." Another UFO was seen near Forgan, and sighter's name and address given. "Although there were numerous other reports from other sources which did not reach the patrol, those above were all of the reports whch moved on the high- way patrol wire on August 1," it is stated in the summary from the depart- ment of public safety. On August 2, the teletype carried its first UFO report of that day at 2 p.m. regarding a sighting at 12:50 p.m. near Cushing. Other reports followed through the afternoon and night. All this from just one State's highway patrol teletype. At 3:30 p.m. on August 2, Maj. Hector Quintanilla, in charge of Project Blue Book,issued the following statement: "Initial study of the reports thus far received by the Air,Force indicates that the observations were astronomical in nature. The objects most likely observed were the planet Jupiter and the stars Rigal, Capella, Betelgeux, or Al-debaran, which are clearly visible in the eastern sky. The time of reported sightings, the azimuth and elevation of the reported sightings supports this conclusion. In addition, on August 1 and 2 the temperature distribution and varying wind speeds observed over the Great Plains, from northern Texas to Wyoming were favorable for the phenomenon, known as scintillation. Some of the reports were the aquarid meteor showers which occur between July 26 to August 6. The meteors approach from the southeast and streak swiftly across the sky trailing sparks. There has been no confirmation that any of the sight- ings reported were tracked on radar. This official statement presents two characteristics typical of Air Force treat- ment of UFO reports. First, no specific sighting is mentioned, and just about every conceivable reason for seeking to explain away the multitude of sightings over eight States is included. Second, no radar sighting is admitted. This is despite the highway patrol's report of Tinker and Carswell Air Force Bases having a fix on a July 31 object, and Tinker having a fix on up to four objects the night of August 1-2; and de- spite national wire services reports of these radar sightings and of a Wichita weather station radar sighting of several UFO's. Radar does not pick up stars and planets, as has been stated. Further, corroboration of visual sightings by a radar sighting—as the Okla- homa Highway Patrol indicated on one occasion the night of August 1— would strengthen the argument that some UFO's are real and unknown. But that August 2 statement from Project Blue Book was immediately attacked from a different angle by Director Robert Risser of the Oklahoma Science and Art Foundation Planetarium in Oklahoma City. To quote a UPI dispatch: "'That (Project Blue Book statement) is as far from the truth as you can get," Risser said. 'Somebody has made a mistake. These stars and planets are one the opposite side of the earth from Oklahoma City at this time of year.'" Major Quintanilla, recently asked about the comment of Director Risser, pointed out the UFO reports were coming in from several States, and said his August 2 announcement referred to Wyoming where the stars in question were visible. He added the statement applied to Oklahoma between 1 and 4 in the morning. [From the Portland (Maine) Evening Express, Jan. 19. 1966] THOSE "FLYING SAUCERS"—NEW HAMPSHIRE SIGHTING ONE OF MOST FRIGHTENING (Editor's Note: This is the third of a series about UFO's (unidentified flying objects) by Bulkley S. Griffin, executive editor of the Evening Express, Washing- ton bureau.) WASHINGTON, D.C.—One of the more impressive sightings of an unidentified flying object (UFO) occurred near Exeter, N.H., last September. As narrated, it was an extended closeup observation of a lighted object that was noiseless and
Hearing transcript, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 88 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.