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NZDF declassified RNZAF UFO files

NZDF / RNZAF via Internet Archive · 2010-12 · 445 pages · text by GLM-OCR

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.

  • p. 155 …writer received an excited 'phone call from Anderson's Ferry, the voice breathlessly describing a brilliant…
  • p. 244 …Also, we have the sightings of orange-red discs reported at Warrington, Fort Chambers and Anderson…
  • p. 421 …their car to watch the object. Mr. Anderson and Mr. E. G. McGeorge, another astronomer, will…
  • p. 435 …an interview yesterday Mr. Anderson In an interview yesterday Mr. Anderson scouted recent reports of unidentified…

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## FLYING SAUCERS

Attached is a report of a meteor like object sighted on 16th October 1952 by Mr. John R. Jennings, employed as an occupational psychologist at DSIR.

In view of this and other similar reports which have appeared in the Press recently, I spoke with Mr. Adams, an astronomer at the Carter Observatory. He stated that the numerous "Flying saucer" reports received at the observatory have all been capable of rational explanation. He has received no information from any international astronomical societies which suggests that the phenomena is anything but natural.

The two foremost authorities on meteors in New Zealand are Mr. Ronald MacIntosh of Auckland and Dr. Elliot of Canterbury University. The latter has a radar installation which plots meteors and Dr. Elliot would no doubt co-operate if requested to give information.

17. 10.52.

R. R. Crossing 1917 term

Also attached is a reporting form prepared by the Carter Observatory. The purpose of this form is to obtain information regarding sightings of meteors, etc.

FILE, 2 3 OCT 1952

/ / CORT initiate

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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.