Project Blue Book desk file, Socorro (217 pages)

and his feeling that he had seen something truly unusual is attested
by the fact that he asked vhether he should speak tot he priest first
before saying anything about it.
Any question of hallucination seems clearly out. He is a non-drinking
man, and is a solid, vell-built, physically healthy individual (Photo-
grph No 10). He is a cop \lho looks as though he could be pretty gruff
vith his customers, and in fact, his complaint about the UFO sighting
vas that it did not allov him to give out his full quota of tickets -
for the day. Photograph N 11 is of Sergeant Chaves, vho is considerably
more articulate than Zamora, and appears to have a greater avareness
of things and relations than Zamora does. Both men seemed to give
- every indication of being devoted to duty and being basically simple
and honest. Photograph No 12 is a close-up of one of the markings,
made very shortly _after the craft had departed.
By the time that I got to see the area, it had been so badly trampled
over that I could make no assesment of the burned areas. There appear
to be a fair amount of charred particles mixed in vith thedirt, and
some charred cardboard vas also found (enc). In conclude, therefore,
that Zamora sav a tangible, physical object, under good daylight
illumination, and from fairly close range {at the closest, almost as
little as 100 feet).
It appears essential that ve discover vhat the physical object actually
vas. It is clear that the UFO officianados are going to make a great
case of this one. Two days before my visit, Mr Lorenzen, husband of
Carol Lorenzen of APRO, had visited and taken numerous samples of charred
remains and of rocks and ground, etc. I had not been at the site more
than ten minutes \/hen Mr Sanford of NICAP shoved up and took samples,
photographs, etc. It vas remarked at the time as to _hov Menzel vould
go about explaining this one! No doubt vas left in my mind but that NICAP
and APRO, and possibly others, vould consider this the best authenticated
landing sighting on record. They will use it, very likely as a lever
for a congressional investigation, and will deride any attempt to "explain
it avay" as a 'balloon, conventional heliocopter, etc. They vill set
great store on the paucity of the burns and the relative lack of
disturbance vould have been very much greater. They vill probably say
that the burns are "plasmaburns" vhich can scorch .locally, I understand. -
It is therefore essential to consider this one of the major UFO sightings
in the history of the Air Force's consideration of this subject, and
to spare no effort in establishing vhether maneuvers of any sort vere
taking place in that locality either on the part of the Air Force, the
Army, or even the Navy. Hovever, I am quite certain that it vill not
be sufficient for the Air Force in this casein indicate that the sighting
vas''probably a nev type of craft being tested," or that a secret var
5Rob Mercer