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FAA via National Archives / The Black Vault · 18 pages · text from the file's own layer

This FAA Alaskan Region file, released through The Black Vault, collects public affairs material on the November 17, 1986 sighting by the crew of Japan Airlines flight 1628. It includes a 1987 Alaska PRSA Aurora Award entry and Paul Steucke's January 5, 1987 memo, which planned a single release of all data at a March 5, 1987 press conference. It also contains UFO group contact sheets, a Phenomena Research Report newsletter and Anchorage Times clippings, including one attributing a flash over Alaska to Soviet rocket fuel.

Subject :
From :
To:
U.S.Department
of Transportation
Federal Aviation
Ad minis~
JAL /11628, UFO
Paul Steucke, AAL-5
Public Affairs Officer
Director, AAL-1
Memorand.um
January 5, 1987Date:
Reply to
Attn . of :
Attached for your review is a Public Affairs plan of action for an
organized release of information regarding the sighting of unidentified
air traffic by the crew of Japan Airlines flight 1628, on November 17,
1986.
Three specific problems have created the need for this plan of action.
(1) The public and media interest in this subject is far greater than
anticipated and requires an organized response that will not
inadvertently embarrass the agency, (2) the agency it appears does not
have all the data in one location for review, and (3) we have not been
able to derive any conclusions that will allow us to conclude this
investigation.
We have nothing to hide, yet we must be very careful to release even
the most boring of data, or we will be criticized of "covering-up" via
"the Government".
I suggest we cease releasing infonnation at this time, set a reasonable
date for a press conference, publicize that date, and proceed according
to the attached plan.
I am available at your convenience to discuss this further. Your
concurrence is needed before I can proceed.
Paul Steucke

Cases discussed

About this file

Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 18 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.