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This NICAP compilation by Dan Wilson gathers Project Blue Book records on the sighting of 24 February 1959, when American Airlines Flight 139, flying from Newark to Detroit, and two United Airlines crews saw three lights over Pennsylvania and Ohio. It includes the record card, pilot statements, Air Force letters and correspondence with an Akron UFO committee. The Air Force concluded that the lights came from three B-47s refueling from KC-97 tankers. Book excerpts disputing Captain Killian's later claims are also included.
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The Air Force's third explanation of his sighting, "well, contradictory and not set in factory." Captain is no longer discussing his sighting of the three unknown objects. After his initial comments in newspapers, exposing the obvious flaws in the Air Force's explanations, the muzzle was quickly applied. American Airlines, through its insistence, was forced to alliance, their attitude being that good relations with officials must be maintained at all costs. Consequently, he was requested not to publicise "so controversial a subject." Captain has commented, "I feel very deeply concerned with this loss of my own personal freedom." The first amendment to the Constitution of the United States roads in part: "Congress shall make law ... prohibiting the freedom of speech or of the press." While the silence order was imposed on Captain, however, the same did not apply to Mrs. remarked, "Although the Captain isn't talking, I can talk ..." Mrs. was asked if Captain would be willing to go before the Space Committee hearings in Washington to relate his story. Mrs. replied: "Definitely. In fact, a Senator asked the Captain if he could come to Washington and tell his story. The Captain said 'Yes, I would go, but you would have to subpoena me. Then I could talk.'" From the NICAP Bulletin, July-August 1959: "In a recent development, the Air Force is now circulating a statement, allegedly from American Airlines, quoting Captain saying that he had never seen jet refuelling operations at night and that the UFCs saw on February 24 could have been a jet refuelling operating. The unsigned statement is in direct contradiction to the statements made to the NICAP Director to the Long Island Daily Press and in taped interviews. In effect, a statement have been brushed by the Air Force as lies after they apparently requested American Airlines to silence his so he could not answer back. American Airlines had deliberately arranged none of the early publicity before he was evidently told to stop talking. Copies of the controdictory statements have been sent to several members of Congress."
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. 83 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.