Documents / Report
This Black Vault copy of Air Force records centers on the Project Twinkle Final Report, which Louis Elterman of the Geophysics Research Division wrote on 27 November 1951. Project Twinkle investigated green fireballs and other light phenomena in New Mexico using Askania cameras run by Land-Air at Vaughn and Holloman AFB. Elterman found the results essentially negative, with most sightings put down to aircraft, balloons, birds, clouds and meteors. He recommended no further spending. The file also includes the 1949 and 1950 correspondence that set up the project and 1952 memos about declassifying it.
•
• •
•
•
•
UN
•
facilities for the electromagnetic f r equency me..asurmaonts that were
to be )rovided by the Signal Coros ~ngineerine Laboratories were not
utili zed due to the fact that the f requency of occurrence of these
phenomena. did not justify the 50 , 000 a year transfer of funds to the
Si gnal Corps which wo\ud be required to carry out such a monitoring
facili ty. Ho ,o~ev er, the phenomena activity over Holloman AF13 150 miles
s outh of Vauglm, !. l!exico during the l atter part of 'ugust 1950 wa s
consider ed sufficiently significant so that the contract with Land-Air
(Askania c ameras only) \vas extended for six months ending 31 Itarch 1951.
3. Contractual Period - 1 Octo ber +950 to 3),. lltar_ch ~951
again \·Iere overhauled and installed at HAFB . This installation was
como1eted about 5 November 1950 . On 16 October 1950 , arrangements
\.rere 1aade by Lt. Albert of HAFB that Nor thruo Aircraft pilots eneaged
in frequent flyine: of B - L~o; and QF- 80 aircraft in the Holloman vicinity
v1ould renort all observations of aerial phenomena.
Durinr this neriod, occasional reports ere received of individuals
seeinp strange aerial phenom na, but these reoorts were sketchy, in-
conclusive, and were considered to be of no scientific yalue . Ho
sightinp.s were made by the As,l{ania cameras . Pothing whatsoever \-las
reoorted ey the IJorthrury nilots . ropular interest seened abated ,
at 1eaot in the southuest . On 31 Na.rch 1951, due to the expiration
of the contract, Land-Air ceased constant vie"i1ance at the t\·10 Askania sta-
tions . In sum.Dary, the r esults durinr, this per iod v1ero negativ e .
•
UNCLASSIFIED DOWNGRADED AT 3 .
DECLAsSIFIED AF~~-~R1JNTER'rAIJS :
DOD DlR 6200.lO YEARS . Report, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 34 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.