FBI file: UFO, UFO Part 06

Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.

Federal Bureau of Investigation United States Department of Justice

Radford News Journal

Radford Va.

4/13/149

# Did You See It? Well, What Was It?

By WELLS CALDWELL The strange object seen traveling across the heavens just after undown last night has caused widespread speculation here in adford as well as in other secs of Southwestern Virginia and Eastern Tennessee. Exactly what the mysterious traveler was, no one here seems know, and the number of concluding reports have only added the confusion.

This much seems to be cern: the object appeared over Southwest horizon shortly before 8 p.m. and was moving stward. Also, it was black, or least part of it was. A Radford man, living in the last end section, asked that his time not be used, but give this version:

I was working in the yard when I glanced up and saw a ring black thing flying across the sky. It came from the direction of Pulaski. It looked a great deal like a rounded stick wood which was burning in

front. The object was trailed by either vapor or smoke and faded from view when it seemed to be directly overhead."

Mrs. Alfred Tolley, of 1702 Seventh Street, west, reported her 12-year-old son, Albert, was playing next door and noticed the object. She said her son had been studying comets in school and called her attention to the phenomenon, thinking that it was either a comet or a meteor.

Miss Joe Stewart, of the Radford College biology department, said she saw the object and assumed it was the exhaust from an airplane. She added that she was "in no way alarmed."

"The strange looking object", she said "was long and black with a light on the front end. It seemed to follow the air route from the direction of Pulaski, later turning and heading toward Blacksburg. There was a light on the front end and great long streaks of fire. We saw it for about 10 minutes."

Fred W. Hurt, of Fourth and

Harvey Streets, gave this version: "At the first appearance it looked like a comet. I recall Halley's comet and it resembled that. There was, at first, a bright spot ahead of the stream of fire, but the trail didn't look so bright when the object reached its zenith.

"It appeared to be moving slowly at first and later very fast, which indicates that it was quite a distance away when I first saw it. The object seemed to follow a straight path, however it veered a little once in sort of an arc and then straighted out again. I heard no noise."

Mrs. James D. Heinline, of 60 Jackson Street, Monroe Terrace, said she and her husband watched it with some neighbors.

"It looked like a long black cigar which was on fire", she stated. "We heard a faint sound, which might have been a small motor. At times it looked like an airplane 'way, 'way off. I thought at first it might be a comet or a meteor, but it seemed

to be traveling too slowly that. It appeared in the south west and traveled toward east. There was a kind of redish looking smoke about it." Miss Dody Jones, of Harv Street, reported watching a phenomenon with a group of children in the neighborhood. She said it looked like "what think a comet would look like

"It was a red flare", she continued, "which was light on t front. It moved slowly from the Southwest and traveled wh seemed to be straight up. curved toward the east and t fire streaks trailing it got long as they began to fade out."

L. B. Graybeal, of Christian burg, a former Air Force pilestimated the altitude of it object at 6.000 feet. He sa there was a light from the obj as it passed over and a "roar sound."

Other reports have been received from as far West as Kingport, Tenn., and as far East Bedford.

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ENCLOSURE

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