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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. 2 …COMMENTS Sighting of landing by Lonnie Zamora • . Initially believed to be observation of Lunar module type…
  • p. 7 …unidentified fi.ying object sighted by Mr Lonnie Zamora, of Socorro, Nev Mexico • . a. At appi…
  • p. 10 …1964, a Socorro, New Mexico policeman, Mr Lonnie Zamora, reported sighting an object about a mile…
  • p. 12 …The following is a resume on the unidentified flying object sighted by Mr ·Lonnie Zamora, of…
  • p. 14 …what type of vehicle or object Mr Lonnie Zamora observed on 24 April at Socorro, •ev…
  • p. 16 …Shortly after 5:30 pm on Friday 1 24 .April 1964 Sgt Lonnie Zamora ot the…
  • p. 18 …Major Connor and Sgt Moody had talked vith the witness Lonnie Zamora. Mr Zamot'a is…
  • p. 24 …vehicle at White Sands capable of causing the eighting as _described by Lonnie Zamora.Rob Mercer
  • p. 28 …to the description provided by police officer Lonnie Zamora. Since certain aerial surveillance flight s wer…
  • p. 29 …j ption provide d by police officer Lonnie Zamora. Since certain aerial surveillance fli ghts were…
  • p. 86 ,, ttro~EL' Sccc; Apr11 ~ ~Y !·!.e:dco .1.964 Lonnie Zamora., 606 Resevoir street~ Socorro, !The…
  • p. 96 …We contacted Sgt Chavez, the State Police officer Who was the first to reach Lonnie Zamora…
  • p. 97 …The following is a sequence of the event as reported by Lonnie Zamora. Shortly after 5…
  • p. 98 …Lonnie Zamoras description of the object is vague. The only specific detail being the red marking…
  • p. 101 …the matter, Lonnie; you look like you've seen the devil. " And Zamora stated, "Well, maybe…
  • p. 129 …Policeman Lonnie Zamora saw sighting, said he ·attached no' j And to lbelp find clues to…
  • p. 132 …Socorro City Officer Lonnie Zamora told of seeing the egg- . shaped vehicle, roughly t"e s…
  • p. 133 …The !lap started, as most know, when Socorro, N.M., policeman Lonnie . z-ora (note incorrect…
  • p. 134 …policeman Lonnie zamora. !shaped object on the desert l about a mile south of Socorro. POLICE…
  • p. 136 …He planned to visit the place where officer Lonnie Zamora said he spotted the · object Friday…
  • p. 137 …Hynek said he hoped to talk to the policeman, Lonnie Zamora, and then visit t h…
  • p. 138 …Edgewood is about 30 miles \ I !=ity Officer Lonnie Zamora east of Albuquerque. ~1d he saw…
  • p. 139 …l.. ,.,,,..,·····--··-······: ---· --·---...-~:~ ~~ Officer Lonnie Zamora. Heights Resident Saw 'Object' Here Mitropolis said there w a s another…
  • p. 142 …he was told by :·:ocor " pc!iceman Lonnie :Zamora th t , th ·~ UFO he . saw l…
  • p. 143 …Lonnie Zamora, who said. he · spotted nn object nea r Secor- . ro Friday night. Zan1ora, in…
  • p. 147 …from a Socorro p::;Ecc~ar.,ll Lonnie Zamora, who s<:.~d he spotte~ an o…
  • p. 151 …from the position of what marks, Zamora said he Officer Lonnie Zamora apparently w ere · landing…
  • p. 152 …experience had taught him something. · Socorro policeman Lonnie Zamora said he would · tu~ around and run…
  • p. 154 …Mexico who has !icem a n Lonnie Zamora re- ported. 'an international reputation in asked Zamora…
  • p. 159 …Lonnie Zamora, who said he spotted an object near Socor- j ro Friday night. Zamora, in…
  • p. 161 …Lonnie Zamora, who said he 1 spotted an object near Socor- ro Friday night. Zamora, in…
  • p. 163 …Seel.ng UfQ Landed City Policeman Lonnie Zamora, a highly reliable source, saw a North Of…
  • p. 166 …Last April 24, Officer Lonnie Zamora, on hl~h way patrol, sighted an oval-shaped craft…
  • p. 167 …He planned to visit the place where officer Lonnie Zamora said he apotted the object Fri…
  • p. 168 …Sam Chavez said he was told by Socorro policeman Lonnie Zamora . that the UFO he saw…
  • p. 171 …of an unusual visitor was a Socorro Policeman Lonnie Za- Zamora said he spotted an burned…
  • p. 173 …from a Socorro policeman, Lonnie Zamora, who said be ' spotted an object near Socor- ' ro Friday…
  • p. 175 …e man who started it all, Socoro ~6lice rnan lonnie · 7,amor!:', say's e next…
  • p. 176 I Air Force Probes Policeman's Story Of 1 Saucer1 at Sands - SOCORRO POLICEMAN Lonnie Zamora…
  • p. 177 …to the policeman, Lonnie Zamora, and then visit t h e site where Zamora says he…
  • p. 178 …Lonnie Zamora, reported sighting an object on the ground a mile south of the town at…
  • p. 181 …Principal in the Socorro sec- tion of the film was city police- man Lonnie Zamora. He…
  • p. 184 …Hynek said be hoped to talk to the policeman, Lonnie . Zamora, and then visit t h…
  • p. 185 …to talk to Socorro police· II man Lonnie Zamora who started it all when he said…
  • p. 198 …He said that Zamora had not wanted to be in the picutr~ but it was at…
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

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