Documents / Document

Project Blue Book Socorro file

Internet Archive · 168 pages · text by GLM-OCR

This Project Blue Book file on the Socorro, New Mexico sighting, held by the Internet Archive, collects Air Force records and 1964 press clippings. It covers policeman Lonnie Zamora's April 24, 1964 report of an egg-shaped object with four legs, the scorched brush and ground depressions, and Dr. J. Allen Hynek's investigation. An Air Force summary says soil and brush analysis found no radiation or propellant and the case stayed open. Later New Mexico reports were judged known objects or 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 …of Socorro. UFO experts from different parts of the country are in New Mexico to investigate…
  • p. 4 # 'Flying Saucer Reports Spread In New Mexico SANTA FE (UPI) - New Mexico's perennial addiction to…
  • p. 5 …Sam Chavez of the New Mexico State Police. They took six other men to the spot…
  • p. 7 …the special Unidentified Flying Object consultant to the Air Force, was sent to New Mexico after…
  • p. 8 …Adam's account was another of several such reports that have kept New Mexico and military…
  • p. 11 …Right on the edge of White Sands missile range on the wide open New Mexico desert…
  • p. 12 …rash of unidentified flying object sightings had New Mexico State Police, local law enforcement agencies and…
  • p. 14 # 'Flying Saucer Reports Spread In New Mexico SANTA FE (UPI) - New Mexico's perennial addiction to…
  • p. 17 …Right on the edge of White Sands Missile Range on the wide open New Mexico desert…
  • p. 18 …David Moody of the office already was in New Mexico and would assist Dr. Hynek in…
  • 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 MAY 6 1964 # New Sights Of Saucers ## Strange Objects Seen by Several Persons in New Mexico…
  • p. 22 …12 FEB 65 ## New Mexico APRIL 24, 1964, Socorro, New Mexico On April 24, 1964, a…
  • p. 23 …rash of unidentified flying object sightings had New Mexico State Police, local law enforcement agencies and…
  • p. 24 UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT REPORT SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO, 24 APRIL 1964 On April 24, 1964, a Socorro…
  • p. 26 …David Moody of the office already was in New Mexico and would assist Dr. Hynek in…
  • p. 27 …My husband and I had talked about the thing the people saw in New Mexico, but…
  • p. 28 …in from all over the state of New Mexico and other parts of the west. It…
  • p. 29 # El Defensor SOCORRO: Inhabited Since 1540 Home of the Famed New Mexico VOL. 98 NO. 34…
  • p. 31 …reported concrete instance of a UFO in New Mexico. Policeman Zamora shifted from a routine task…
  • p. 35 # UFO Sighting, Socorro, New Mexico, 24 Apr 64 Hq USAF SAF0I PB (Mrs Gaiser) Wash D…
  • p. 46 …24 April 1964 Sgt Chavez of the New Mexico State Police accompanied by Agent Burns of…
  • p. 57 …Zamora observed on 24 April at Socorro, New Mexico. The object or vehicle displayed flight characteristics…
  • p. 73 …the April 24, 1964 sighting at Socorro, New Mexico, made by Lt. Zamora. I would very…
  • p. 74 …Bieberman 601 Pitch Avenue Socorro, New Mexico 87801
  • 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 …835-9916 in Socorro New Mexico regarding the article appearing in the Socorro ElDefnnsor & Chieftan concerning…
  • p. 90 …about a hundred miles north of Socorro, New Mexico. Cloud Gap personnel did not have any…
  • p. 91 …reported subsequent to Socorro Sightings ## ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO AREA 25 Apr. Socorro Unidentified Observer. Rotating Navigation…
  • p. 93 …TO THE SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO SIGHTING: 1. 26,Apr 64, Grants,New Mexico sighting of a…
  • p. 103 …CONCLUSIONS 24 April 1964 Socorro, New Mexico □ Was Balloon □ Probably Balloon □ Possibly Balloon □ Was Aircraft □ Probably…
  • p. 105 …His theories as to why UFO's land in New Mexico lack, shall we say, a…
  • p. 106 …Ted Raynor, Editor, Socorro El Defensor Chieftan, Socorro, New Mexico, and he can send one of…
  • p. 124 # UFO REPORT Lonnie Zamora, 606 Resevoir Street, Socorro, New Mexico, 835-1134, Officer Socorro Police Force…
  • p. 131 ## REPORT ON SOCORRO NEW MEXICO TRIP On Tuesday, April 28, 1964, in response to a call…
  • p. 136 …SIGHTING AT SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO, 24 APRIL, CONTINUE TO BE RECEIVED FROM NEWS MEDIA, FROM THE…
  • p. 138 …while in Socorro, my old friend, Dr Jack Whothmen, President of the New Mexico School of…
  • p. 146 …Right on the ge of White Sands Mise Range on the wide en New Mexico desert…
  • p. 147 UFO Sighting, Socorro, New Mexico, 24 Apr 64 Hq USAF SAFOI PB (Mrs Gaiser) Wash 25…
  • p. 152 …The Sócorro report and another at La Madera in northern New Mexico were similar in that…
  • p. 153 …range, whose headquarters is near the central New Mexico town. ## Six Cars Derail; Rip Mile of…
  • p. 154 # ASTRONOMER TO NEW MEXICO # Flying Objects Area Probed SOCORRO, N.M.—(AP)—An astronomer from the…
  • p. 156 …landings in New Mexico in the past few days. "We are convinced the Socorro policeman saw…
  • p. 157 SOCORRO NEW MEXICO DATE: 24 APR 64 # Believes Intelligent Beings on UFOs Sighted in State TUCSON…
  • p. 159 …85 and New Mexico 180 and the object appeared to be about a quarter of a…
  • p. 160 …of Socorro. UFO experts from different parts of the country are in New Mexico to investigate…
  • p. 164 …Lincoln LaPaz of the University of New Mexico who has an international reputation in running down…
  • p. 165 …Hynek said he had not been told by the government whether sending him to New Mexico…
  • p. 167 …THE SOCORRO REPORT AND ANOTHER AT LA MADERA IN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO WERE SIMILAR IN THAT…
  • p. 168 # 'Flying Saucer Reports Spread In New Mexico SANTA FE (UPI) - New Mexico's perennial addiction to…

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

# 29 April 1965

Dr. Donald Mensel Mrs. Lyle Boyd Harvard College Observatory Cambridge 38, Massachusetts

Dear Don and Lyle;

At long last I am prepared to make a reply to your letter of February 19.

I am also enclosing a piece of the identical type of cardboard originally picked up by me at the landing site. The only difference between this cardboard and the one that I picked up and turned into the Air Force is that the original piece had charred edges which may or may not have had any connection with the alleged landing. But that it was charred I will attest to. This sort of cardboard gets caught under many of the bushes in that area. As you know the winds there can get very high in the windy season, and you not only see tumbleweeds batting across the country, but papers, old lunch boxes, packing crates, etc. also nerrily batting along. These get wedged in under the bushes and stay there to weather sometimes for a year or more, I would judge. This cardboard, as you can see, has plainly been weathered quite some time and is hardly the kind that would have been used to fake a model of a spaceship.

I should mention that I discussed this whole matter with Major Quintanilla, and he and I are in agreement on what follows:

In my visit to Socorro I determined that Zamora had been urged by the Mayor to get into the movie and that he himself had been rather reluctant to do so. The movie is due to have its world premiere in Socorro, and I am hoping to get down to see it!

I don't think we can say too much about the flame which could be pretty subjective. A swirl of dust, etc. might from the distance have been interpreted as a flame. As far as smoke or a burning bush, etc., I couldn't get anyone to say at this time that they had seen smoke or that anything was burning. Chavez insisted only on the fact that a greasewood bush appeared to be charred in spots or rather seared and that the searing was highly localized. Greasewood is notoriously hard to ignite, and a match or ordinary flame held to it hardly affects it. Chavez said that the burns appeared as though intense but localized flames had seared the grass and the ushes, but remarked that right next to a seared portion be found portions quite untouched. Again, I don't know how much credence can be placed on all the burning bush, etc. I think we must go to other major points.

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