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Project Blue Book Socorro file (direct PDF)

Wikimedia Commons (USAF Project Blue Book) · 168 pages · text by OCR

This Project Blue Book file on the Socorro, New Mexico sighting of 24 April 1964 compiles an Air Force record card and a large set of press clippings. The clippings cover policeman Lonnie Zamora's report of an egg-shaped object with four landing marks and scorched brush, plus J. Allen Hynek's investigation and follow-up reports from La Madera, Edgewood and elsewhere. An Air Force summary says soil and brush analysis found no foreign material, radiation or propellant, that the case remains open, and that later related sightings were explained or found to be hoaxes.

  • p. 1 …LOCATION Socorro, New Mexico 12. CONCLUSIONS □ Was Balloon □ Probably Balloon □ Possibly Balloon □ Was Aircraft □ Probably Aircraft…
  • p. 2 …the Air Force and night be attributed to the Socorro, New Mexico sighting. FOR THE COMMANDER
  • p. 3 …85,.17 miles north of Socorro. "I wasn't going to report it because I didn…
  • p. 4 …He told police Gallegos' report came on the heels of a similar report from a Socorro…
  • p. 5 # Mysterious Object Pays SOCORRO (UPI) - It was shiny and stood on four gird- round, stood on…
  • p. 6 …Last April 24, Officer Lonnie Zamora, on highway patrol, sighted an oval-shaped craft near Socorro…
  • p. 7 # Astronomer Hunts Clue To 'Saucer' SOCORRO, N. M., April 29 (AP). An astronomer from the Dearborn…
  • p. 8 …Sam Chavez said he was told by Socorro policeman Lonnie Zamora that the UFO he saw…
  • p. 10 …the desert about a mile south of Socorro. He denied seeing any signs of life around…
  • p. 11 …Policeman By CHARLES RICHARDS United Press International SOCORRO, N.M. (UPI)—It's a good place…
  • p. 12 …No less than six "authentic" spottings have been reported since Friday when Socorro Policeman L onn…
  • p. 14 …Gallegos' report came on the heels of a similar report from a Socorro policeman, Lonnie Zamora…
  • p. 15 …The reports came from Socorro and the Espanola area. State Police Capt. Martin Vigil said investigators…
  • p. 17 SOCORRO POLICEMAN Lonnie Zamora tells how, he spotted an egg-shaped flying object near Socorro, N…
  • p. 18 # Air Force UFO 4129 Expert to Check 'Saucer' Reports SOCORRO (P) Dr. J. Allen Hynek, special…
  • p. 19 April 25, 1964, when on the previous day at Socorro, New Mexico a policeman, Mr. Lonnie…
  • p. 20 Landing area at Socorro, New Mexico, taken April 25.
  • p. 21 …When it flew away, Socorro, N.M., policeman Lonnie Zamora said he ran from it. Since…
  • p. 22 # "ELPASO TIMES" Film On UFCs To Include Socorro Officer Secorro, N.M. (AP)—A Hollywood, Calif…
  • p. 23 …No less than six "authentic" spotings have been reported since Friday when Socorro Policeman Lonnie Zamora…
  • p. 24 UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT REPORT SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO, 24 APRIL 1964 On April 24, 1964, a Socorro…
  • p. 26 # Air Force Uru Expert to Check 'Saucer' Reports SOCORRO Dr. J. Allen Hynek, special unidentified flying…
  • p. 27 …85 two miles south of Socorro between 7:30 and 8 p.m. The unidentified tourist…
  • p. 28 …The flap started, as most know, when Socorro, N.M., policeman Lonnie Zamora (note incorrect spelling…
  • p. 29 # El Defensor SOCORRO: Inhabited Since 1540 Home of the Famed New Mexico VOL. 98 NO.34…
  • p. 30 Published Tuesdays & Thursdays in Socorro, N. M. 87801 TUESDAY, APRIL 28. # Of UFO Landing Here Observe…
  • p. 31 …Holder of Socorro, U.S. Army up-range commander with headquarters at Stallion Range Center on…
  • p. 35 # UFO Sighting, Socorro, New Mexico, 24 Apr 64 Hq USAF SAF0I PB (Mrs Gaiser) Wash D…
  • p. 46 …On Tuesday, 28 April 1964, Capt Quintanilla directed Doctor J Allen Hynek to Socorro to obtain…
  • p. 57 …produce markings such as those found at Socorro. One known experimental model, constructed by Bell Aircraft…
  • p. 73 …on the April 24, 1964 sighting at Socorro, New Mexico, made by Lt. Zamora. I would…
  • p. 74 …As I recall, the man was driving into Socorro at the time. Unfortunately, I no longer…
  • p. 75 …As a recall, the man was driving into Socorro at the time. Unfortunately, no longer have…
  • p. 76 ## Four Years Old # $100 Reward Offered In Saucer Mystery SOCORRO The mystery of a reported unidentified…
  • p. 78 ## NARRATIVE OF SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO SIGHTING, 24 APRIL 1964 Shortly after 5:30 pm on Friday…
  • p. 84 TDEW/UFO UFO Sighting Socorro, New Mexico 14 May 1964 Test Support Officer (Col K. Young…
  • p. 85 …On 18 May 1964 TSgt Moody called Mr Opal Grinder at 835-9916 in Socorro New…
  • p. 86 …Capt Quintanilla contacted the FTD liaison office at Holloman AFB regarding the Socorro sighting and requested…
  • p. 90 …Cloud Gap operations were conducted in an area about a hundred miles north of Socorro, New…
  • p. 91 …5 CASES of sightings in 1963 or early 1964 reported subsequent to Socorro Sightings ## ALBUQUERQUE, NEW…
  • p. 93 THE FOLLOWING SIGHTINGS WERE REPORTED TO THE AIR FORCE AND MIGHT BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE SOCORRO…
  • p. 96 …In my visit to Socorro I determined that Zamora had been urged by the Mayor to…
  • p. 100 …Coming back to the Socorro case: I'm sorry that I couldn't have been of…
  • p. 102 Report on the Trip to Socorro - Albuquerque - Socorro, March 12-13, 1965 Left Las Cruces 7…
  • p. 103 …CONCLUSIONS 24 April 1964 Socorro, New Mexico □ Was Balloon □ Probably Balloon □ Possibly Balloon □ Was Aircraft □ Probably…
  • p. 104 it on a global basis and the UFO phenomenon apart from the Socorro case is certainly…
  • p. 105 …His principal reason for selecting Socorro seems to be the following: "The main one can be…
  • p. 106 …Ted Raynor, Editor, Socorro El Defensor Chieftan, Socorro, New Mexico, and he can send one of…
  • p. 109 …Apparently the Socorro teenagers are much more direct in their methods of reprisal for the "fuzz…
  • p. 111 …I do not believe that the Socorro high school students could have kept a secret this…
  • p. 112 …There is also the opinion expressed in Socorro, and expressed to me a number of times…
  • p. 124 # UFO REPORT Lonnie Zamora, 606 Resevoir Street, Socorro, New Mexico, 835-1134, Officer Socorro Police Force…
  • p. 126 …Radioed to sheriff's office Socorro 2, possibly 10-44 (accident). I'll be 10-6…
  • p. 127 …State Police at Socorro) calling me on radio for my location, and I returned to my…
  • p. 128 ## INFORMATION RELATIVE TO THE SOCORRO SIGHTING OF UFO BY LONNIE ZAMORA At 0530, Sunday 26 April…
  • p. 130 …Coral Lorenzen and husband were in Socorro at the time and had interviewed both Lonnie Zamora…
  • p. 131 ## REPORT ON SOCORRO NEW MEXICO TRIP On Tuesday, April 28, 1964, in response to a call…
  • p. 134 …No 9 shows the town of Socorro in the distance, looking down longitudinally through the gulley…
  • p. 136 …NUMEROUS INQUIRES CONCERNING AIR FORCE INVESTIGATION AND EVALUATION OF THE RECENT UFO SIGHTING AT SOCORRO, NEW…
  • p. 137 …In about a month, I shall have occassion to return to the Socorro area, at which…
# 'Flying Bathtub' Seen by Motorist

SOCORRO, April 27 (A) Socorro police were called to the scene last night where an officer reported seeing a strange flying object and later a motorist reported a silvery object in the air near Caballo Reservoir.

Officer Bill Pyland said a girl, who didn't give her name reported a fire in the hilly area one mile southwest of Socorro.

Officer Lonnie Zamora, while patrolling in his car Friday, said he saw an egg-shaped object land in a draw. When he approached, he said, the object flew away with a roar

Pyland said the girl, about 18, said she was from 300 to 500 feet from the fire and she thought there was something in the flames.

Pyland said men searched the area described by the girl but found nothing. He said officers would visit the area in daylight, noting it would be difficult to find any exact spot at night in the brushy desert terrain surrounding Socorro.

Representatives of the military and other officers who visited the spot where Zamora saw the object land found burned brush and scorched

See FLYING, Page A-2

Officer Lonnie Zamora

## Heights Resident Saw 'Object' Here

A Vermont NE resident today told The Tribune she and a friend saw a strange silvery object flying over the State Fairgrounds last Thursday afternoon.

The resident, who asked that her name not be published, said the object was definitely not an airplane. She and her friend were in a car traveling south on San Pedro between 3:30 and 4 p.m. when they saw the UFO.

She said that the object was more or less egg shaped, similar to the description given by Socorro Officer Lonnie Zamora of an object he saw land near Socorro.

earth. They also found four impressions in the earth, apparently left by landing gear.

parently left by landing gear. The motorist, who identified himself to Pyland as George Mitropolis of Albuquerque, said that while driving north from El Paso he saw a "silver looking object go up, over a mountain, and down" out of sight.

Mitropolis said there was another car ahead of him when he first saw the object. "I caught up with them (the other car) and stopped them because I wanted to know if they had seen it too. There were two young men but they denied seeing anything."

He said he first reported it to Truth or Consequences officers, "but they just got a laugh out of it and told me to tell it to Socorro police because they had reported something like it."

Mitropolis said he felt better when he learned in Socorro that others had seen a similar object.

"No, I hadn't read about the other one before," he said. He said he was near the junction of U. S. 85 and New Mexico 180 and the object appeared to be about a quarter of a mile to the east. He said it looked like "an upside down bathtub" about 30 feet in diameter. It had no lights.

About this file

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