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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. 6 …was here today to examine the secluded hill where a Socorro policeman reported seeing a mysterious…
  • p. 14 …that she saw a fire in the hills southwest of Socorro Sunday night, where city officer…
  • p. 23 …pm, in an unpopulated area full of hills and gullies and covered with sagebrush. Following is…
  • p. 30 …The tourist also commented that he had seen a police car heading up the hill. This…
  • p. 56 …He also observed the police car heading up the hill toward the spot where the UFO…
  • p. 75 …ago south of Socorro on an isolated hill remains unsolved. And to help find clues to…
  • p. 77 …travel a little-used road over several hills and gullies. After two or three efforts to…
  • p. 97 …You suggest that when Zamora's car created the hill, the hoaxers triggered another blast of…
  • p. 100 …As you may know, we have rented a house at 57 Avon Hill Street. I hope…
  • p. 114 …Made three attempts to climb hill. First sighting of object. Stopped car for a couple of…
  • p. 123 …Could not see bottom of flame because it was behind hill. No smoke noted. Noted some…
  • p. 125 …I was still running and I jumped just over the hill--I step because I did…
  • p. 126 …ran from object, jumped over edge of hill, then got back to car and radio as…
  • p. 128 …He turned off the road and proceeded to a point up a hill where he could…
  • p. 132 …He thus came up upon the object from behind the hill and from the side, so…
  • p. 137 …The tourist also commented that he had seen a police car heading up the hill. This…
  • p. 149 …One year ago Saturday Zam investigated what sounded two explosions in the hills so of Socorro…
  • p. 150 …an unidentified flying object on a lonely hill-just south Socorro. Among results were an Force…
  • p. 151 …reports." Dr Hyek visited yesterday the secluded hill where Socorro policeman Lonnie Zamora reported seeing an…
  • p. 153 …was here today to examine the secluded hill where a Socorro policeman reports seeing a mysterious…
  • p. 160 …As Zamora moved closer he lost sight of the object behind a hill. He continued driving…
  • p. 165 …short "men." Zamora continued driving up the hill to get a closer look. When he stopped…
  • p. 166 …HYNEK VISITED TODAY THE SECLUDED HILL WHERE SOCORRO POLICEMAN LONNIE ZAMORA REPORTED SEEING AN EGG-SHAPED…

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

# New Documentary Film

A new 80-minute documentary film on UFOs, entitled "Phenomena-Seven Point Seven," was nearing release date as this issue was closed.

The moving picture was prepared by Empire Film Studios, Hollywood, where a company official explained the title: "Seven Point Seven means the 7.7% of an estimated 8000 sightings classified as UFOs by the Air Force." (This figure is close to the latest AF admission of 663 unknowns out of 8908 cases, which works out as 7.44%.)

One of the main sequences shows the now widely-known Socorro case. Last April 24, Officer Lonnie Zamora, on highway patrol, sighted an oval-shaped craft near Socorro, N.M. When he left his police car for a closer look, the strange machine blasted flame from underneath, rose to a low altitude, then raced out of sight.

Landing-gear marks and scorched terrain were checked by AF Chief UFO Consultant Dr. J. Allen Hynek and other AF investigators. Later, Hynek stated he did not doubt Zamora's report, and that he had no explanation.

Major Maston M. Jacks, AFHQ spokesman, recently gave Zamora a "top believability rating" in a statement to Roger Treat, for a feature article in the Baltimore News American. Even more surprising, in May Jacks' letter to NICAP member Robert Barrow, Syracuse, described the UFO as a "vehicle" though he still claimed no evidence that it was from outer space.

However, this official admission that the UFO was some kind of unknown machine, is a long-and puzzling-jump from the usual "explain away" answers of mirages, delusions, etc.

For this reason, the new film may have a strong impact. The original Socorro report had wide publicity, but to date the AF has never issued a press release admitting the UFO was a strange vehicle, nature unknown. If it had, this probably would have been a front-page story, focussing serious attention on UFOs.

Cont. p. 5 col. 1

Documentary Film - Cont. from p. 4 col. 2

Empire Film Studies says the documentary is designed to show that neither hysteria nor panic were caused by Officer Zamora's report. First showing will be at Socorro, then the film will appear nationally. NICAP will review and report on.

NICAP will review and report on "Phenomena-Seven Point Seven" as soon as possible.

About this file

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.