The National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (Nicap)

# Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R00560R000100010001-0

was "so bright it was impossible to determine shape." Visible on each side of it was a green light. The UFO appeared to hang motionless for 5 or 6 minutes; then it began moving slowly across the sky, and suddenly shot upward into a cloud bank. [55]

March 29, 1950; Ironwood, Michigan. Tom Christensen, airlines representative for Wisconsin Central Airlines, and six other persons at the airport (all pilots or with flying experience) viewed a round UFO through binoculars at 2:55 p.m. It was moving directly into a north wind at "pretty good" speed. As it travelled, the UFO made a "slipping and sliding sideways" motion. [56]

July 1950; Cincinnati, Ohio. At 1:45 p.m., a C.A.A. flight engineer with 11 years of aeronautical experience observed a "wingless, fuselage-shaped" object which maneuvered in a sunny sky. The UFO climbed at a steep angle, hesitated, dove and sped away to the west. Estimated speed: 5,000 m.p.h. The object made no sound and left no trail. (Confidential report obtained by NICAP Adviser L. H. Stringfield, Cincinnati, Ohio).

November 27, 1950; Huron, South Dakota. In the early morning, Gene Fowler of the Weather Bureau, Winfield Henry of CAA, and two Western Airlines ground crew members watched a UFO which alternately hovered and darted around the sky. The UFO changed color, red to white to green. At Aberdeen, 75 miles north, William B. Hiller, CAA Aircraft Communicator, also, saw a lighted UFO that changed colors. [57]

July 8, 1952; near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Joseph J. Greiner, CAA equipment provider (experienced as radio operator weather observer, and traffic controller) at 10:00 p.m. saw a domed UFO speed overhead below a high overcast. The object was visible about 10 seconds, travelling at an estimated 1,000 mph. The main body was green, with a reddish domed portion on top. [58]

Early 1952; Cleveland, Ohio. Clark Croft, chief of the CAA Tower staff, stated to the Associated Press July 22 that "several months ago" a member of his staff had sighted a red light hovering in the sky in the direction of nearby Berea. He asked a pilot taking off for Akron to watch for it. The pilot saw it first below and ahead of him. "Suddenly it took off at a very rapid rate," Croft said. "He tried to catch it, but couldn't. It was faster than any jet aircraft we know about."

## Washington, D.C., Sightings

On two consecutive weekends in July 1952, UFOs swarmed over Washington, D.C. Maneuverable, erratically performing objects were seen visually by pilots where radar showed them to be. Among the aviation personnel who either tracked the UFOs on radar or sighted them visually were the following:

July 19, 11:40 p.m. CAA radar operators at National Airport control center and in tower; 8 unidentified targets moving 100 to 130 mph.

July 20, midnight to 5:40 a.m. Harry G. Barnes (senior air route traffic controller), Ed Nugent, Jim Copeland, and Jim Ritchey (radar controllers); up to 10 unidentified targets at one time on radar; motions coincided with visual sightings by Capt. Casey Pierman, Capitol Airlines pilot, who about 1:00 a.m. saw a total of 7 UFOs which maneuvered in all directions, sometimes hovering.

July 20, early a.m. Howard Cocklin, CAA control tower operator, saw yellow-orange light gyrating low in NW sky where control center radar indicated it was.

July 20, 3:00 a.m. Capt. Dermott, Capitol Airlines pilot, watched unidentified light follow his plane to within 4 miles of National Airport; radar also showed object.

July 26, 9:08 p.m. Jim Ritchey and other radar personnel saw 12 unidentified targets move onto scope from NW headed SE; helped vector in jet interceptors, which reported glimpses of high speed lights. Commercial pilot reported yellow light that turned to red, then back to yellow, pacing his plane about two miles away; "Radar confirmed that he was between two and three miles from the object," Ritchey stated.

[For additional details, see Section XII, July 1952 Chronology.] October 12, 1952; Palo Alto, California. Harry C. Potter, aircraft maintenance man for United Airlines, was standing talking to friends at 1:00 a.m. Suddenly they noticed a V-formation of six apparent discs speeding overhead from N to S, travelling about 120 degrees in about 8 seconds. One separate UFO crossed at the same time from W to E. The UFOs appeared as rings of very

bright blue-white light, apparently dark discs lighted only on the outer rim. [59]

1952; San Mateo, California. At 6:30 a.m., Leonard L. Musel, United Airlines mechanic, was one of five persons in a car pool who saw a large flat UFO take on board five smaller objects of similar shape. [See Section II, Satellite Object Cases.] All six UFOs were roughly diamond-shaped, the main object nearly elliptical as it hovered 50 to 75 feet above salt flats visible from Hillsdale Boulevard. When the smaller objects were on board, the parent object flipped over flat side down (presenting an elliptical outline) and took off eastward at fantastic speed, going out of sight in seconds. [60]

December 3, 1954; Wilmington, North Carolina. About 12:30 p.m. Luther H. O'Banian and J. B. Bradley, CAA traffic controllers, and others at the airport saw a round yellowish UFO which sped overhead on a southwesterly course. The two controllers studied the object through binoculars, but could not identify it. The UFO, visible about 45 seconds, seemed to be moving at a downward angle at an estimated speed of 500 mph or more. [61]

January 8, 1959; near Walworth, Wisconsin. Gordon Higgins, a draftsman who has had two years USAF experience as control tower operator and flight controller, watched a UFO descend and then speed away horizontally. (See self-explanatory diagram with number keys.)

September 29, 1960; Arlington, Texas. J. Rodriguez, Jr., flight radio officer for Pan American Airways, reported to NICAP: "At 6:23 p.m. CST while watching 8 or 9 kids (ages 10 to 16) play fast ball in front yard across street from my home, I looked up, east, elevation 50 degrees approximately, and I saw a bright pinpoint of orange-colored light travelling toward the south; its speed was faster than a high flying jet aircraft, but slower than a meteor. As it reached a point below the moon it slowed down very rapidly, at which time I turned and ran toward my house for my field glasses. [see sketch, position "A" to "B"]

"Upon returning with my field glasses (7 power) the kids had now taken up the watch. Mr. Louis Via, my neighbor across the street, was also out in his front yard where we all were. While the kids insisted that it was up there just below a bright star, Mr. Via and myself said 'no it's just another star.' [See sketch, position "C"]

"Soon we all realized that the stars were moving, as though around each other clockwise. I took up a position where I could use the house roof for reference to see if one was moving.

"Mr. Via and myself soon agreed that the bottom one was slowly moving upward and clockwise around the star, which I then realized was the planet Jupiter. The movement between positions 'B' and 'C' was seen by the 8 or 9 kids. While watching the movement between positions 'C' and 'D', Mrs. Via came outside and also saw the orange colored point of light moving. My field glasses did nothing for seeing what it was, still a bright point of light.

"At about 6:35 another neighbor came over from two houses down, Mr. and Mrs. Rowmach. Mrs. Rowmach said: 'Rod, I've been watching that very fast moving light since you ran toward your house a while ago.' We all stood there and watched it slowly moving up and getting smaller, but still bright. . . "

About 6:37 p.m. while trying to point out the UFO to another neighbor, Rodriguez saw it take off suddenly toward the west and vanish "as fast as a meteor."