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Project Blue Book desk file, Socorro (217 pages)

The Black Vault (Rob Mercer collection) · 217 pages · text from the file's own layer

This 217-page Project Blue Book desk file on the 24 April 1964 Socorro, New Mexico sighting by policeman Lonnie Zamora comes from the Rob Mercer collection. It contains the Blue Book record card, which carries the case as unidentified pending more data, along with Foreign Technology Division messages and resumes and a narrative of the sighting. It also holds inquiries about lunar modules, helicopters and VTOL craft, soil and radiation findings, and a letter by J. Allen Hynek rejecting Donald Menzel's hoax hypothesis.

  • p. 3 …TWX regarding Capt Quintanilla's visit to Socorro dtd 30 Jun 2. TWX frcm SAFOI dtd…
  • p. 6 …EVALUATION OF TH~ RECENT UFO SIGHTING AT SOCORRO, NEW i•lEXIC , 24 APRIL, CONTINUE TO BE…
  • p. 7 TDEW UFO Sighting, Socorro, Nev Mexico, 24 Apr 64 Hq USAF SAFOI PB {Mrs Gaiser) Wash…
  • p. 9 …Force and might be attributed to the Socorro 1 New V..exico sighting. FOR THE COMMANDER…
  • p. 10 UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT REPORT SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO, 24 APRIL 1964 On April 24, 1964, a Socorro…
  • p. 12 …TDEW UFO Sighting, Socorro, Nev Mexico, 24 Apr 64 26 May 64 Hq· USAF SAFOI PB…
  • p. 13 …On Tuesday I re April 1964, Capt Quintanilla directed Doctor J All.en Hynek to Socorro…
  • p. 14 …produce markings such as those ·round at Socorro. One knovn experiaental model, constructed by Bell Air…
  • p. 16 NARRATIVE OF SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO SIGHTll~G 1 24 APRIL 1964 .. Shortly after 5:30 pm…
  • p. 22 …OFf\ClAL F\LE COPY I . 'l'DEW/UFO UP'O Sighting Socorro, Nev Mexico Test…
  • p. 23 …18 May 1964 TSgt Moody called Mr Opal Grinder at 835-9916 in Socorro New Mexico…
  • p. 24 …capt Quintanilla contacted the FTD liaison office at Holloman AFB regarding the Socorro sighting and requested…
  • p. 25 …with an unidentified flying object sighting at Socorro, Nev Mexico . The Air Force is · investigating the…
  • p. 28 …Cloud ~ ap operations were conducted in an area about a hundred miles north of Socorro, New…
  • p. 29 …Cloud Gap operations were conducted in an area about a hundred miles north of Socorro, ~J…
  • p. 76 …Byrnes to;ould like for me to contact him at the state Po.Lice Office, Socorro…
  • p. 77 …1~f'r tI - ~ - Socorro of .t! ~- Wheels skidded. Made three attempts to climb hill~ ,Pl…
  • p. 86 ,, ttro~EL' Sccc; Apr11 ~ ~Y !·!.e:dco .1.964 Lonnie Zamora., 606 Resevoir street~ Socorro, !The…
  • p. 93 …jl.P..nci, lil%t of the Socorro t--otin~ D~:>J,.b"'Ul: ::.nt., , ;.~ - ~'>b…
  • p. 96 INFORMATION RELATIVE TO THE SOCORRO SIGHTING OF UFO BY LONNIE z.A.'.iORA At 0530, Sunday…
  • p. 98 …Coral Lorenzen and husband were in Socorro at the time and had inter- viewed both Lonnie…
  • p. 100 .>, REPORT ON SOCORRO NEW MEXICO TRIP On TUesday, April 28, 1964, in resp6nse to a call…
  • p. 103 …No 9 shows the town of Socorro in the distance, looking down longatudi- nally through the…
  • p. 105 …In about a month, I shall have occassion to return to the Socorro area, at which…
  • p. 106 …But, it is essential .that the Socorro case be given the treatment. I also questioned, while…
  • p. 126 …details on the April 24, sighting at Socorro, New Mexico, made by Lt. Zmmora. ,, Project 1964…
  • p. 127 …As I recall, the man ~as driving into Socorro at the time. Unfortunately, I no longer…
  • p. 129 …ly over his car. :Socorro on an isolated hill re- On AP'ril 24, 1964, Socorro…
  • p. 132 …ing of an unidentified flying object at the outskirts of Socorro Friday afternoon ·and the sighting…
  • p. 133 …American UFO Committee Review, Vol 1 No 2, Sep V'+ Socorro 1 H. H. : . . I •t…
  • p. 134 …policeman Lonnie zamora. !shaped object on the desert l about a mile south of Socorro. POLICE…
  • p. 135 …the so>clu·lf:'d hill where Socorro i an ~'.. an \\edg~:--l'?f'Pd im…
  • p. 136 ASTRONOMER TO NEW MEXICO Flying Objects Area Probed SOCORRO, N.M.-(jp)-An !Wright-Patterson Air…
  • p. 137 …ALBuQUERQUE JOURNAL SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO 24 Apr 64DATE: 29 APR 64 Air Force UFO Expert to…
  • p. 138 …28 APR 64 . • • SOCORRO NEW MEXICO DATE: 24 APR 64 A rash of unidentified fly- e…
  • p. 139 …SOCORRO, April 27 lA'! - Socorro police were called to the scene last night where an . ·cer…
  • p. 140 '~"'~ ' i' '... . " . .. .n~".· ,, J ~-"'t:~".t · ·s ,)~.l~"~.l ) i.,:i:'\.11 SOCORRO ll'l -Dr. J…
  • p. 141 …his investigation of a Socorro policeman's report that he saw a mysterious ilying ob-- ject…
  • p. 143 …the heels of e similar report from a Socorro pol ! r.-~ :nr:.n. Lonnie Zamora, who…
  • p. 144 …the one-11 l desc·ribej at Socorro. Sho s :lid i she is investigating the…
  • p. 145 …southwest or Socorro Sunday night, where city officer Lonnie · Z3mora firsl r('poft"l.!tl see…
  • p. 147 …r : (! from a Socorro tee::1ager . •u A;bu-! querquc motorist, ) ~ · .'i :: 1•< o I men…
  • p. 149 …5 CASES of sightings 1n 1963 or early 1964 reported subsequent to Socorro Sightings · 25 Apr…
  • p. 150 …BE A'I'l'RIBUTED TO THE SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO SIGHTING: 1. 26,Apr 64, Grants…
  • p. 151 …were irregularly ly landed there," Chavez A report by a Socorro po- spaced with the distance…
  • p. 152 …gained ·sudden national attention Friday after he saw an egg-shaped flying object near Socorro said…
  • p. 153 …drove 1 to Socorro from Tucson to take samples of the soil and , indicated the story…
  • p. 154 …sightin J! of a UFO in Socorro puzzled by lack of radar con- balls and meteorites…
  • p. 155 …29 A.r 6 Flying Object Expert Checks Socorro Scene Astronomer Takes Photos At UFO Site…
  • p. 159 …Gallegos' report came on I the heels of a similar report II from a Socorro policeman…
  • p. 160 …objects ( in the sky between here and ~ Socorro. ~' The rash of incidents start- ed .Friday when…
  • p. 161 …Gallegos' report came on• the heels o! a similar report 1 from a Socorro policeman, Lonnie…
  • p. 162 .ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL 26 APRIL 1994 ) 1JE JOU:-'''/' '- \Mysterious Object Pays Visit to Socorro Area I SOC…
  • p. 163 ' , PRICE lOc SOCORRO: Inhabited Since 1540 Home of the Famed New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology…
  • p. 166 …The original Socorro report had wide public 1ty, hut to date the A F has never…
  • p. 167 …P'ass and 1 ound scorched indentations o;: :ed&'e-shaped the Socorro aft e &'round…
  • p. 168 …Sam Chavez said he was told by Socorro policeman Lonnie Zamora . that the UFO he saw…
  • p. 170 …burned by exhaust a mile south of Socorro. He denied from the saucer. j seeing any…
  • p. 171 …United Press International thing very few have ever flew away after he got within SOCORRO, N…
  • p. 172 …Flymg Obects Zamora, when contacted at since Friday when Socorro sat~ from h~s Oklahoma…
speeding car had turned into his line of sight from a side road, and
we followed the pursuit path, going to the place about 1/2 mile
·south of town where Xamora then pointed in the direction in which
he · had seen the flame and had heard a loud roar. It must be
remembered thatat this time he was giving chase to a speeding car,
and it would seem that, to be diverted from this jolly procedure,
the noise and/or light must have been fairly strong. Zamora did
not describe the light to me in the detail that he has described
it in Captain Holder's report. He stressed only the roar and the
fact that he thought the Mayor's dynamite shack had exploded _and
that somebody might have been in trouble.
From that point on, his report to me was virtually identical to that
he gave to Captain Holder - his three attempts to get up the hill,
his .sighting of the object at a distance, as his line of sight went
longatudinally down the small arroyo - it was at this point that
he thought he saw an overturned car standing, however, either on the
trunk or on its radiator. He described that, at this point, he
picked up the radio and called back to Sergeant Shaves. There is
a little contradiction here, probably not serious, as to where he
had made the call, and exactly how many calls he made.
He then stated that he proceeded down the very poor gravel road,
temporarily losing sight of the object behind a slight rise in the land,
that is, behind one of the hillocks that formed an arroyo between
them. He thus came up upon the object from behind the hill and from
the side, so to speak, he apparently saw the object again while he was
driving and continued to drive for some distance. He finally stopped
the car at the clearing just before the ground descends into the little
arroyo (see photograph number 2) Photograph No 2 is important
in that it shows how close he was to the object. It is clear from this
that any common object would certainly have been easily recognized. It
would seem virtually incredible that an ordinary object, such as a balloon,
heliocopter, private small plane, etc., could have remained unidentified,
and further, could have caused Zamora to become as frightened as he did.
Zamora drove up to this spot, windows rolled down, and looked to his left
out of the window, to see the object. At this point, he indicated that
he still thought that "it" might have been an overturned car. It is not
clear whether he made a call to the station at this time (presumably
he did), but, in any event, he knocked the mike to the floor, as he got
out of the car, apparently in some excitement. He started to walk toward
the object, but apparently did not get very far before he heard some
noises. The noises were described as two or three bangs, as though
someone were shutting a door (the space visitors were undoubtably saying
"Let's get the Hell out of here " ) and this was followed almost immediately
by a roar. He did not describe the pitches of the roars to me as well
as he had in Capt Holder's report. Apparently, by this time Zamora was
3
,- ,
·~Rob Mercer

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