Documents / Hearing transcript
This is an excerpt from the record of the April 5, 1966 House Armed Services Committee hearing on UFOs, which the Internet Archive holds. It includes correspondence about the September 3, 1965 Exeter, New Hampshire sighting involving Raymond E. Fowler, Project Blue Book and the Exeter police officers, plus a letter on the matter from Minority Leader Ford. Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Major Hector Quintanilla and Secretary Harold Brown testify. They say the police officers' observation remains unidentified and that no radar data or jet scrambles were involved.
6039 WENHAM, MASS., October 29, 1965. MASTOX M. JACKS, Major, U.S. Air Force,Ohief, PictorialBranch, Public Information Division, Offlce of Information. SAF-OIPB DEPARTMENT OF THE 'Ain FORCE, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Air Force, Washington,D.C. DEAR MAJOR JACKS: This is a formal inquiry concerning the official US. Air Force evaluation of the detailed UFO report submitted to AFSC-FTD/Project Blue Book last month. My investigation and subsquent report took place shortly after the official U.S. Air Force investigating team from Pease AFB made their investigation. The UFO sighting took place between the Clyde Russell and Carl Dining prop- erties along Route 150 in Kensington, N.H., on September 3, 1965, In the early hours of the morning. The witnesses were Norman Muscarello and Officers Ber- trand and Hunt of the Exeter, N.H., police force. In 1964 I customarily received correspondence from your office In response to UFO reports submitted- t0the U.S. Air Force for evaluation. This was appre- ciated. I have submitted many reports since but have not received any response. This Is understandable due to the many reports received by the U.S. Air Force and I do not expect such a service on your part normally, but, I did spend a great deal of time and thought on the Kensington, N.H., report and would appreciate your sending the official U.S. Air Force evaluation of the same as soon as possible. I understand the evaluation has been made. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. I look forward to hearing from your office soon. Sincerely, RAYMOND E). FOWLER. DEPARTMENT OF THE Ais FORCE, Washington, January 25, 1966. DEAR MR. FowLze: This Is in reply to your request for information on the Exeter, N.H., UFO sightings. The initial investigation from Pease Air Force Base was submitted to our office on September 15, 1965, and contained statements from the principal witnesses. This data indicated that a refueling operation might have been the cause of the sighting. Refueling area "Fur Trapper" and refueling area "Down Date" are controlled through Loring Air Force Base and located over the area of the sight- ing. A*call was made to the controller of this refueling area, and we were In- formed that they were closed from 03/0500Z to 03/600Z for an 8th Air Force operation, "Big Blast." A call was placed to the 99th Bomb Wing at Westover Air Force Base for information on this operation. The initial impression was that aircraft from an 8th Air Force operation, "Big Blast," was the cause of the, lights observed during this InCident. Information received from the 8th Air Force indicates that 10 B-47 aircraft from Pease Air Force Base involved in Operation Big Blast "Coco" were In the traffic pattern over Exeter, N.H., between 03/444Z and 03/535Z. A copy of this letter Is enclosed. Since this information conflicted with the time of the sighting and eliminated these aircraft as a possible evaluation of this ivcident, a letter was forwarded to Mr. Eugene Bertrand and Mr. Dave Hunt of the Exeter Police Department re- questing clarification of the time of the sighting. A copy of our letter to these gentlemen and a copy of their reply Is attached. The early sightings by two unnamed women and Mr. Muscarello are attributed to aircraft from operation Big Blast "Coco." The subsequent observation by Offi- cers Bertrand and Hunt occurring after 2 a.m. are regarded as unidentified.Sincerely, JOHN P. SPAULDING, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force, Chief, Civil Branch, Community Rela- tions Division, Offlce of Information DECEMBER 2, 1965. HeoToR QtJJNTANrA, Jr., Major, U.S. Air Force, Ohief, Project Blue Book, Wright Patterson APB, Dayton, Ohio. DEAR SIR: We were very glad to get your letter during the third week in NX'ovember, because as you might imagine we have been the subject of considera- ble ridicule since the Pentagon released its "final evaluation" of our sighting
Hearing transcript, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 37 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.