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Project Blue Book Socorro file

The Black Vault · 167 pages · text by 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. 3 …UPI) - New Mexico's perennial addiction to flying saucers has taken hold of the state again…
  • p. 4 …Sam Chavez of the New Mexico State Police. They took six other men to the spot…
  • p. 6 …sent to New Mexico after a rash of reports of sightings in the state. He planned…
  • p. 7 …shots at one of New Mexico's unidentified flying objects. State Policeman Tommy Richardson of Moriarty…
  • p. 11 …of unidentified flying object sightings had New Mexico State Police, local law enforcement agencies and military…
  • p. 13 …UPI) - New Mexico's perennial addiction to flying saucers has taken hold of the state again…
  • p. 15 …New Mexico's perennial addiction to flying saucers took hold of thae state again Monday. More…
  • p. 22 …Around State A rash of unidentified flying object sightings had New Mexico State Police, local law…
  • p. 23 …Within moments afterward, Sgt Chavez of the New Mexico State Police arrived on the scene in…
  • p. 26 …in a state loaded with radar installations. "It is my understanding that New Mexico has more…
  • p. 28 …Inhabited Since 1540 Home of the Famed New Mexico VOL. 98 NO.34 Published Tuesdays & Thursdays…
  • p. 30 …State Police Sgt. Sam Chavez, State Policeman Ted Jordan, and Undersheriff James Luckie responded. Chavez and…
  • p. 34 …The sighting was reported to Sgt Chavez of the New Mexico State Police. The object sighted…
  • p. 45 …April 1964 Sgt Chavez of the New Mexico State Police accompanied by Agent Burns of the…
  • p. 56 …Socorro, New Mexico. The object or vehicle displayed flight characteristics well within the State-of-the…
  • p. 77 …his call was monitored by Sgt Chavez of the New Mexico State Police. Sgt Zamora attempted
  • p. 79 …The FBI was informed of the sighting by the New Mexico State Police. The New Mexico…
  • p. 81 Sgt Sam Charez of the New Mexico State Police was interviewed by Major Connor and Sgt…
  • p. 82 …Sawde Darnore interviewed by Sgt Chavez, New Mexico State Police Kes
  • p. 153 …New Mexico after a rash of reports of sightings of unidentified flying objects in the state…
  • p. 156 …A rash of unidentified flying object sightings had New Mexico State Police, local law enforcement agencies…
  • p. 158 …85 and New Mexico 180 and the object appeared to be about a quarter of a…
  • p. 163 …Lincoln LaPaz of the University of New Mexico who has an international reputation in running down…
  • p. 164 …Hynek said he had not been told by the government whether sending him to New Mexico…
  • p. 167 …UPI) - New Mexico's perennial addiction to flying saucers has taken hold of the state again…
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 under it. The text was read from the page images by an OCR model; expect the odd misread word. 167 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.