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This is a New Zealand Defence Force public release of RNZAF file AIR 39/3/3, "Flying Saucers," which covers 1952 to 1955 and was declassified in September 2010 under the Official Information Act. It collects sighting reports from the public and military personnel, press clippings, and a table of 1952 sightings. It also holds Carter Observatory opinions attributing some reports to meteors. A large part covers the inquiry into lights seen from National Airways Corporation Flight 108 on 31 October 1955, which the RNZAF could not fully explain as Venus.
“Christchurch”32 pages
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or more". After watching it for sometime he ran in to get his field glasses, but by this time the airship had disappeared over a hill. The object was also seen at Mahono. The comment of the Oamaru Press agent circulatin-g the report was"if this the same mystery as something that has been seen in the south of Otago and Southland, the inventor evidently has a machine that can not only take long flights, but it moves at a great rate of speed. The distance between the two points is about 200 miles". It was reported that on Tuesday afternoon, 23 schoolchildren at Invercargill had seen the "ship". Two diagrams drawn by them were published but bore no resemblance to one another. A good deal of excitement and interest was manifested by the passengers on the Hokitika train on approaching Greymouth on Thursday evening, when they were informed by the guard that the mysterious light was visible. As the train was approaching the Teremakau bridge the engine-driver noticed a light out to sea. It was moving up and down and advancing towards Greymouth Harbour. He and the fireman watched it until the train arrived at the Nelson Creek station, when the object came inshore and descended close to the breakers. "The guard passed word to the passengers and they crowded out on-to the platforms to watch. The light or object was noticed to rise and fall every now and then. It then moved off against a strong wind in the direction of the Greymouth bar and then headed towards Point Elizabeth. The object behaved in a most mysterious manner and all sorts of conjectures were made", stated the report. One passenger advanced the theory that it might be a message from Mars. At about the same date a Buller resident 4 times watched a mysterious object flooting over Mount Rochfort in the early hours of the morning. The mysterious light alleged to be an airship passed over Timaru on Thursday. The harbour-master saw the light and said it was nothing more than"a ball of concentrated electricity known to sailors as "Jack in the Lantern"; and a frequent accompaniment of foggy weather". (continued next issue Ed.) ## COMMITTEE OF INVESTIGATION Civilian Saucer Investigation (NZ) (established 12,Oct 1952) is a privately sponsored non-profit organization. Main interests are the study, research and recording of all incidents attributed to "Flying Saucers" or "Unidentified Flying Objects" seen and reported from the four-corners of the Earth. To try and establish whether or not "Saucers" are real or imaginary; to date our findings, from the mass of evidence at our command, favours real "Saucers" with an extra-terrestrial origin. The investigatory committee, 8 in strength, meets once a month to study, evaluate and classify latest informations and decide on future activities. Our sincere thanks is due to all cash Donors, to our research fund, and those "Honorary Observers" who continue to forward clippings from their local dailies, (with title and date of issue). Sincere thanks too, to overseas kindred groups for the wealth of informa- ion passed on and the ever welcome free copies of your respective publications.
Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 445 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.