The National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (Nicap)

One of the former Project Blue Book personnel who have visited NICAP is Don Widener. During 1952, he was a Staff Sergeant, senior information specialist in the Strategic Air Command, stationed with the 809th Air Base Group, MacDill AFB, Florida. Mr. Widener was assisting a Captain who was doing investigative work. When the Captain was called off base, Widener kept track of all sightings in the area for Project Blue Book.

Extracts from a letter to NICAP signed by Mr. Widener:

"One of the key sightings which I was involved in was a radar sighting in the summer of 1952. Captain___was off base and the operations officer notified me of the UFO, which radar had picked up at 40,000 feet proceeding at a speed of 400 knots. A check showed only two aircraft in the area; one a commercial airliner 300 miles out and the other a B-29 on the downwind leg to land.

The B-29 was piloted by a Colonel who reported he had five hours fuel and would investigate. The craft searched until midnight and finally reported a visual sighting at 20,000 feet. The object was at 40,000 feet flying at about 220 knots. The sighting was witnessed by the co-pilot and scanner. The Colonel and other witnesses described the object as a glowing white light shaped like a football. The B-29 turned to give chase, but the object reversed its field and disappeared at high speed. . . The weather that night was excellent. Bright moonlight, no inversion. Perfect for flying."

## Jet Instructor Observes Circling UFO

A former Air Force jet pilot instructor, in a signed report to NICAP, detailed a sighting of a cigar-shaped UFO which left a contrail of constant length. 1st Lt. Edward B. Wilford III, a West Point graduate, was on a maintenance test flight in a T-33 from Laredo AFB, Texas, in about April 1953.

"While flying, I noticed a contrail at least 100 miles southeast coming in my direction. I had previously seen B-36's in our area, but within 5 minutes the contrail approached so rapidly that I thought it must be a B-47." He had just passed through 20,000 feet in a climbing spiral over the field.

Lt. Wilford gave the following log of the sighting:

T. First sighting, 100+ miles ESE of Laredo. [Approached from over Gulf in direction of Corpus Christi].

T+5. Passed north of air base (my altitude, approx. 25,000 ft.)

T+10. Almost out of sight WNW of Laredo (my altitude 30,000 ft.), appeared to make 90 degree left turn.

T+17. Passed south of Laredo. I passed object through sun, but could not see any wing or tail structures. (My altitude, approx. 35,000 ft.)

T+20. Passed north of Laredo. I saw waves in contrail for first time. (My altitude, 37,000 ft.+)

T+25. Contrail disappeared to NW 100 miles away. (My altitude 41,000 ft.+).

Part of the time the UFO was sharply outlined, appearing as a "solid brown cigar-shaped object with contrail beginning one ship length behind," Lt. Wilford stated. "The contrail was a constant 2-1/2 or 3 ship lengths, disappearing as rapidly as it was forming, thus keeping constant length."

Based on the fact that the visibility at altitude exceeded 100 miles, Lt. Wilford estimated the UFO's speed at 1200 m.p.h. After circling the base, it took the UFO 5 minutes to speed out of sight to the NW. The object was as much as 45-50 degrees above his plane, and when he reached 40,000 feet it still seemed to be at least 20,000 feet above him.

## Pilot Reports Two "Intelligently Controlled" Objects

In a letter to NICAP, Lt. Col. Richard T. Headrick, USAFR, Senior Pilot, described briefly a sighting of two UFOs in Dayton, Ohio, during 1954. A full report was made at the time to Project Blue Book. Col. Headrick outlined his views in this manner:

1. "Saucers exist. (I saw two).

2. They were intelligently controlled or operated. (Evasive tactics, formation flight, hovering flight.)

3. They are not propelled on any thermodynamic principle. (No contrails while jet intercept aircraft left heavy ones).

4. They are mechanisms rather than hallucinations, optical illusions, natural phenomena.

Col. Headrick added his evaluation of UFOs in general: 5. They are not U.S. secret weapons, for if they were, many contracts I am now working on would be dropped. [56.] Also they would not fly outside military test reservations.

6. They are not Russian for similar reasons. Russians have complained about their flying over their borders. They would not risk malfunction over our territory.

7. I presume they are extraterrestrial.

8. Provided they are, interstellar navigation would likely present little more complication than navigation within our solar system. Therefore, discussion on whether or not planets in the solar system are capable of supporting life are not material.

9. Judging from all evidence I have read, personal contact has not yet been established either on the ground or by radio transmission."

1. UFO first appeared as vapor streak, bright flare of light. Then turned red-orange, solid shape became distinct. Black specks appeared, cavorted, near lower end.

2. Specks disappeared, object tilted to 45 degrees from horizontal, began moving slowly WSW.

3. Object tipped to horizontal, then as it moved into distance tilted upwards again.

# SAC Officers Watch UFO With Satellite Objects

At SAC headquarters in 1958, a group of officers, airmen, and missile engineers observed an elongated UFO with satellite objects for about 20 minutes. The case was reported to NICAP by Major Paul A. Duich, USAF (Ret.), one of the witnesses, who was then on active duty. Until recently, Major Duich was an Air Force Master Navigator, accumulating 4000 flying hours and 300 combat hours. During World War II he was one of those who saw "foo-fighters," while crew member of a B-29 making bomb runs on Japan.

The time was approximately 1840. The date: 8 September 1958. I had just ordered dinner at the Officers Club, Strategic Air Command Headquarters, Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha,

Approved For Release 2001/04/02 $ ^{5} $ : CIA-RDP81R00560R000100010001-0