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Project Blue Book Socorro file

The Black Vault · 167 pages · text by GLM-OCR

This Black Vault release compiles 1964 newspaper and wire service clippings plus a Project Blue Book summary on the Socorro, New Mexico sighting by policeman Lonnie Zamora on April 24, 1964, when an egg-shaped object left four depressions and burned brush. It covers J. Allen Hynek's site visit, APRO and NICAP comment, and related New Mexico reports at La Madera, Edgewood and Albuquerque. The Air Force summary reports that soil and brush analysis found no radiation or propellant, and the case remained open.

  • p. 33 …GORDON COOPER, CMDR. ALAN SHEPARD JR., AND DONALD SLAYTON. (NO PICKUP)
  • p. 105 …March 9 issue has a story "Film Studios Praise Cooperation Here in Film on UFO's…

Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.

it on a global basis and the UFO phenomenon apart from the Socorro case is certainly not limited to the United States.

After these discussions in Texxikari the editorial offices, Raqnor and I went out for lunch and asked Sgt. Chaves to join us. While we were waiting for him, I showed Raqnor the letter from Menzel and his comments about parts of it were, "Childish." But we went over it point by point, and likewise Chaves did. Chaves' reaction to the letter was rather strange. He had sort of a resigned, almost pathetic look on his face, and said, "I really feel sorry for Lonnie. He's had to take an awful lot." Then he told of a recent case where Zamora was arresting a kid for speeding, and the kid said, "What do you want to give me a ticket for? Don't you know a flying saucer might come right down on us now?" (or something like that.)

I asked him what the whole movie situation had been on Zamora and how it had effected him. He said that Zamora had not wanted to be in the picutre, but it was at the Mayor's insistence, via his boss, that he consented to do so. I can't quite believe this myself. When I talked to Zamora later, he seemed to be reasonably pleased about being in the movie. Clearly, with a world premiere in Socorro, it would be a strange human who did not get some quick out of a thing like that.

I will come back to the Menzell letter later because I discussed it with Dr. La Paz who knows Menzell well. That was the next day in Albuquerque.

I purchased five newspapers which had various stories about the movie or about related matters. The papers were for Tuesday, February 9; Thursday, February 25; Tuesday, March 9; and Thursday, March 11. The first one I think you have; it states, "Socorro Part of Film on UFO's Completed; Zamora's Account Jibes With Sixteen Verified Sightings." The February 25th issue contains a front page story on a UFO sighted over Gallup which as far as I can see, is nothing more than a meteor. The March 2nd issue contains a lovely story about

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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. 167 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.