 presents 1951 UFO Chronology Ruppelt Becomes Chief of Revised Project GRUDGE  Bethune Case, Feb. 10, 1951, off Newfoundland, Canada Created: 2 Jan 2006, Updated 5 June 2020 This chronology is currently a 20-page
report. I want to thank all the members of the
A-Team who made this
possible. Finally, but certainly not least, I
want to thank Loren Gross for thoughtfully and
diligently collecting data many years ago for
his UFO Histories and supplemental notes, in
particular here the year 1951. A big thanks to
CUFOS and Mary Castnor for housing them on the
CUFOS site at.
NICAP Site
Coordinator: Francis Ridge 1951; Iron Triangle
Chorwon, Korea
Craft hit soldier with light beam. Jan. 8, 1951; S of Ft. Worth, Texas (BBU 864) 10:45 p.m. Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Boggus, plus
unidentified drivers and passengers in other cars
stopped to watch 2 stationary groups of red and
green lights in triangular formations which then
moved. (Berliner; FUFOR Index)
Jan. 12, 1951; Fort Benning, Georgia (BBU 868)
10 (11:01?) p.m. U.S. Army 2nd Lt. A. C. Hale saw
a light with a fan-shaped wake remain motionless
like a star then speed away. (Berliner; FUFOR Index)
Jan. 14, 1951; Jolon [S of King City or near Salinas?], Calif. (BBU) 11:40 a.m. Private pilot Rosenburg of Navion
4582K saw 3 rectangular objects with flat tops.
(Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
12:38 p.m. Private pilot Hillman flying with 3
passengers saw 150 ft circular object at 30,000 ft.
(Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
Jan. 16, 1951; Nr. Artesia, N.
Mexico
General Mills personnel tracking a Skyhook balloon saw two disc-shaped objects approach rapidly, tip on edge, circle the balloon, and speed off over the NW horizon. [I] 9:20-9:26 p.m. (CST). Capt. Lawrence W. Vinther,
copilot James F. Bachmeier, passengers AF Colonel
and aide, and CAA tower controller John M. Williams.
At 9:20 the 2 CAA tower controllers sighted light in
the W [NW?]. After Vinther's Mid-Continent Airlines
DC-3 took off, he was asked by the tower to look for
light, then while still in a climbing 360° turn at
about 1,000 ft they spotted object to the NNW at
about 8,000 ft and 4 miles away that looked like a
B-29 fuselage with wings but no engines, which
blinked some lights like running lights. Object came
at the DC-3, flew across the nose within 200 ft,
they had to turn their heads to follow it then
suddenly found it instantly appeared on the other
side again, paralleled them for 2-3 secs, then flew
under them and disappeared in 2-3 secs to the NW.
(Battelle Unknown No. 3; cf. NARCAP)
Jan. 21, 1951; Oak Ridge, Tenn. (BBU) 4:20 p.m. An unidentified object was sighted on
a radar scope of an F-82 fighter plane over the
controlled area at Oak Ridge. The radar operator
intercepted an indication of an airborne target at
18m (18,000 yards?). The GCI gave the go ahead
to intercept the target. The radar set on the F-82
was "locked on" and the run began. The interception
was unsuccessful and the fighter returned to base.
In all, three passes were made at targets all
with radar indications, but they could not
be completed since the target was over the
restricted area of Oak Ridge including the X-10
plant. (McDonald list; FUFOR Index)
Jan. 22, 1951; 50 miles SE [ESE?] of Holloman AFB, New Mexico (BBU) 10 a.m. (EST [sic; PST?] 11 ? a.m.). Pilots Capt. Ernest W. Spradley of Aerial Photo Lab and Capt. James E. Cocker of All-Weather Flying Division both AMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, a General Mills Aeronautical lab project engineer Mr. McAleese [sp?] and an airman, were flying in a C-47 heading E [ESE?] at about 10,000-12,000 ft and tracking a Project GOPHER plastic balloon at about 50,000-70,000 ft when they saw a bright star-like object seemingly next to the pear-shaped balloon or above and to the side. As they approached and flew under the balloon they noticed the object descend to the balloon's level and grow larger in apparent size until about 1/4 to 1/2 the 70 ft balloon, when it appeared to be round and flat like a dime, milky white or silvery in color with a clear outline. Cocker and McAleese left the cockpit went to the astrodome to observe the object. After 3 mins they saw the object separate from the balloon and head W at high speed, after about 1 min it emitted a series of 3 bright flashes like photoflashes at 1 sec intervals and disappeared from sight. (Jan Aldrich; FUFOR Index) Jan. 24, 1951; Westover AFB, Mass. (BBU) At 10:45 a.m. local time, the Westover Approach Control radar picked up three unidentified returns. The returns were the same or larger than a B-36. The course of the objects varied.The length of the observation was approximately 15-20 minutes. The Project 10073 Record Card does list the type of observation as Air-Intercept Radar, as well as saying in a brief summary of the sighting that Approach Control picked up unidentified returns. (McDonald list; FUFOR Index, Sparks, Wilson) Jan. 24, 1951; Westover AFB, Mass. (BBU)
10:45 a.m. (McDonald list; FUFOR Index)
Jan. 26, 1951; Sea of Japan off coast of South Korea (BBU) 2:05 p.m. During an ASP coverage flight a
target echo was observed on the aircraft's radar
(APS-15). During a 15 minute period between 2:05
p.m. and 2:20 p.m. local time, the object was
observed to make what appeared to be a run over
the tanker being escorted (the USS Passumpsic)
and seven runs over the observing aircraft at
speeds computed at 3,000 knots. (Dan Wilson)
February 1951
Look magazine article: Dr. Urner Liddel, Office of
Naval Research, stated "There is not a single
reliable report of an observation which is
not attributable to the cosmic balloons (plastic
"Skyhook" research balloons)."Feb. 1 [2?], 1951; Johnson AFB, Japan (BBU 886) 5:10 p.m. [?] Pilot and radar operator of F-82 night fighter saw an amber light make 3-4 360° turns to the right, reverse towards the F-82 then climb out of sight. (Berliner) Feb. 9 (not 10th), 1951; off Newfoundland, Canada On the night of the UFO encounter, a four engine Navy R5D transport was flying west over the Atlantic. On this trip the 30-year-old pilot was bringing two flight crews home from special duty in Europe. Including his own crew there were over twenty-five pilots, navigators and flight engineers aboard the transport. The National Archives turned up a number of supporting documents on this case, including Air Intelligence Information Reports by five of the crew members. Although it isn't documented, reports indicate the object was tracked by ground radar. (NICAP, BB, Dan Wilson) Feb. 14, 1951; Alamogordo, N. Mexico Time not given. Two Wright-Patterson AFB officers, Captain J. E. Cocker of the all-weather flying division, and Capt. E. W. Spradley of the aerial photography laboratory, were tracking a large weather balloon in a C-47 aircraft when Capt. Spradley spotted a flat, milky white object that looked like a dime hovering next to the balloon. Cocker left the seat and watched the object from the C-47's astrodome for about 5 minutes. The object and balloon were at an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 feet altitude. The object, now a perfectly clear silver color separated from the balloon and three bright flashes like photo flashes were seen before it disappeared. Dan Wilson, UFO Evidence, Section III) Feb. 15, 1951; Sea of Japan, off coast of South Korea In the early afternoon five radar contacts with high-speed objects were made by a Navy patrol plane using a AN/APS-15B radar. Objects were tracked at estimated speeds from 12,600 mph to 14,400 mph. The radar equipment appeared to be working normally.(Jan Aldrich, Dan Wilson) Feb. 19, 1951; Near Mt. Kilimanjaro, Kenya (BBU) 7:20 a.m. East African Airways Lodestar crew
and several passengers saw stationary silvery
elongated object. (Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
Feb. 19, 1951; Rodeo, New Mexico (BBU)
USAF? C-54 pilot saw a green flare [fireball?]
pass his plane. (Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
Recognition of Flying Saucers. Document which
states, "A flying machine in so featureless a
form as a saucer would probably be one of the
most difficult things to recognize as such, even
in ideal observing conditions."
Feb. 21 [26?], 1951; Durban, South Africa
(BBU 896)
4:55 a.m. 3 men in a truck and several other
persons, none named, saw a dark red,
torpedo-shaped object with darker center, fly
straight and level. (Berliner; FUFOR Index)
Feb. 21, 1951; Bt. Newfoundland and Iceland (BB) 3:00 AM. The Incident #26 report describes the event in more detail. Lt. George Williams was piloting a Navy Fleet Logistics airplane cruising at 10,000 feet. At first he thought the object was a ship and then called the copilot forward. Nine witnesses saw the object approach at terrific closing rate. It veered to their port side and hovered momentarily, then rose at extremely rapid rate and disappeared off their port quarter. Size was estimated at 200 feet in diameter, flat elliptical or cigar shaped by side view and seemed to be producing a ring of red-orange exhaust all along the edge. (Jan Aldrich, Project Interloper report). 7:10 a.m. USAF Sgt. J. B. Sells saw a dull
grey, metallic object, about 120 ft long 10-12
ft thick, hover, puff smoke and speed away.
(Berliner)
March
1951 (exact date unknown), off Cape May, NJ11:30 PM. It was during the Korean War and a naval destroyer was on the alert for bombers coming in from the northeast, east and southeast. It was plotting all aircraft going north and south along the coast and in as far as the Appalachian Mountains. Source reporting said they tracked an object coming in from due east at a speed of 85 to 90 knots and an altitude of 3,000 to 4,000 feet. It got within about 30 miles of the destroyer and just stopped and hovered. Source informed the bridge, which informed the captain, and he instructed them to head out toward the object. About half an hour later, when the ship was within 15 miles of the object, the object suddenly took off on a northerly course very rapidly. Its speed was estimated at about 5,000 kms an hour. The object got to within 35 to 40 miles south of Nantucket Island and suddenly went straight up into the atmosphere. Altitude-determining radar tracked the object up to 100 miles above the earth and still going straight up. A report was made to the Pentagon.. March 9, 1951; About 20 miles SE of Tsushima Island, Japan (BBU) 2:25 p.m. This description was extracted from the Air Intelligence Information Report IR-29-52, Page 16 of 27. A high-speed air target was tracked by a Mariner SA4 aircraft. The target was initially observed bearing 320 degrees true for approximately 60 seconds. During this time the target tracked 55 miles. The calculated speed was approximately 3,350 mph. (Dan Wilson, Jan Aldrich) March 10, 1951; Chinnampo, Korea (BBU)
9:51 a.m. Crew of USAF B-29 bomber, including
scanners and tail gunner, saw a large red-yellow
glow burst and become blue-white. No further
information in files. (Berliner)
March
13, 1951; McClellan AFB, Sacramento, Calif.
(BBU 907)
3:20 p.m. USAF 1st Lt. B. J. Hastie and
Mrs. Rafferty saw a cylinder with twin tails,
200 ft long and 90 ft wide, turn N at
incredible speed. (Berliner)
10:20 (9:50?) a.m. 25 members of a flying
club, including the chief aerial engineer
(Floats?) and his two assistants saw a
metallic cigar-shaped object with white
exhaust which turned black when it accelerated
to about 1,000 mph and made a large loop.
(Berliner; FUFOR Index)
March 24,
1951; Holloman AFB, Alamogordo, New Mexico
(BBU)5:55-6:00 a.m. (MST). Project TWINKLE
personnel photographed with a Leica 3c 50 mm
camera an unidentified elliptical object with
major axis 8.31 arcmins minor axis 6.343
arcmins (0.1385° and 0.1057°). (Sparks)
March 31, 1951 Project
TWINKLE's extended contract ends.
(Brad Sparks)
It's
interesting to compare the August 29, 1950
version of the script for "The Thing From
Another World" with the dialog in the film
as actually released on April 6, 1951.
Sometime between August 1950 and the time
the film was completed, a pretty interesting
detail was added -- the concept of
"radiation-triggered cameras" to track UFOs.
(See report by Joel Carpenter).
April, 1951; Atlanta, Georgia Morning. Pilot was flying a Loan L-4 that had taken off from Atlanta Municipal Airport. He climbed to 3000 feet on a 180° heading. The wind was from the west, 270° at 12-15 mph and there was some low ground fog and scud. Overhead, it was very clear, no overcast or cloud. Pilot was in the rear seat, as the aircraft was placarded for solo flights the pilot was to fly from the rear. He was about 20 minutes out of Atlanta when he saw a perfectly round disc slightly SW at about the two o’clock position. See full report. (NARCAP Case 12, Source : Capt. Robert H. Pasley written report sent to Major Donald Keyhoe, NICAP in March 1965). April 14, 1951; Yellow Sea (BBU) 1:22 p.m. Radar tracking of unidentified
target at 3,755 mph. (Jan Aldrich)
>4:20 a.m. [GMT?] M/Sgt H. E. Sweeney and 2
enlisted men saw a glowing yellow-orange,
saucer shaped object with arc-shaped wings,
fly straight up. (Berliner)May 21/22, 1951
AF Intelligence (AFOIN)
finally captures the AMC Intelligence
Dept from AF R&D and names the new
unit that is formed, the Air Technical
Intelligence Center (ATIC), also known
as the 1125th Field Activity Group of
AFOIN. The first Chief of ATIC is Col.
Frank L. Dunn who displaces Col. Harold
W. Watson, the last Chief of AMC
Intelligence Dept, who is left in limbo
later to be transferred out to
USAF-Europe, effectively having been
fired by Gen. Cabell, the AF Director of
Intelligence. (Brad Sparks)
May 22, 1951; Nr. Dodge City, Kansas American Airlines pilot observed maneuvering star-like object. [V] June 1 [May 31?], 1951; Niagara Falls, New York (BBU 925) June 1951
In the first
of a number of visits, LIFE magazine
reporter Robert E. Ginna visits the Pentagon
and ATIC to obtain information for what will
turn out to be a landmark UFO article
(published in the April 7, 1952,
issue). Ruppelt later recalled that
when news of Ginna's imminent arrival was
received at ATIC that "pandemonium" broke
out because the anti-UFO biased personnel
left over from Col. Watson's tenure (such as
James J. Rodgers and Capt. Roy L. James)
were unprepared to be challenged or exposed
to public scrutiny. (Brad Sparks)
June 1, 1951; Dayton, Ohio
July 1, 1951; Seoul, South
Korea (BBU)
Wright-Patterson AFB official watched disc make sharp turn. [III] June 7, 1951. Los Alamos area?, New
Mexico (BBU)
11:10 a.m. Los Alamos Lab employee sighted pointed cylinder with clothlike construction in vertical orientation fall into a canyon. Search party unable to find traces. (Sparks; BB NARA Microfilm Roll 85, p. 505; Maxwell Roll 1, p. 905) 10:50 [10:20?] p.m. USMC pilots flying 4
F4U5N fighters with 1st Marine Air Wing saw
several bright green spheres [fireballs?].
Ground radar confirmation [?]. (Project
1947; FUFOR Index)
July
9, 1951; Near Dearing (25 mi W of
Augusta), Georgia (BBU)
1:40-1:50 p.m. (EST). 1st Lt. George H.
Kinmon, Jr., 160th [117th?] Tactical Recon
Wing, Lawson AFB, Columbus, Ga., flying
F-51 fighter at 250-270 mph at 8,000-8,500
ft on heading 247° saw high speed white
oval disc about twice size of his plane
[or about 75 ft] [or 10 15 ft?] in head
on collision from the direction of the sun
[sun at about 237° azimuth 72° elevation]]
suddenly dive underneath narrowly missing
his plane. He turned to pursue but
couldn't find object, then 15 secs later
the object made another head on dive at
him, repeated it several times, on last
pass climbed upward out of sight.
[Conflicting account to AFOSI states after
first dive object continued to barrel-roll
around the plane for 10 mins, then
disappeared under the plane. Pilot states
object was 300 to 400 feet from plane and
appeared to be 10 - 15 ft diameter.]
Object flat on top and bottom, white not
aluminum. Front view with rounded edges
slightly beveled, and small crater-like
spots. Top view as it dived, object
appeared round and spinning clockwise.
From front view as object dived observer
noted.. No vapor trails or exhaust or
visible system of propulsion. Described as
traveling tremendous speed. He compares
its speed to that of a jet plane. Pilot
turbulent wake "bump" when object passed
under plane. Object left the plane a few
miles S of Milledgeville, and 15-20 miles
from Macon. (Weinstein; NICAP; BB files??)
July 9, 1951; Corona, New Mexico (BBU)
10:30 p.m. USAF Sgt. Meadows, security
guard at Corona Experimental Radar Site,
saw red glowing ball about size of full
moon to the W descending into the tree
line for 30 secs and afterglow seen
another 10 secs. [Crescent moon was
setting in the W about 268°272° azimuth
about 10-10:30 p.m. depending on height of
mountains and tree line to the W.]
(McDonald files; Jan Aldrich; FUFOR Index)
July
14,
1951; Holloman AFB, New Mexico (BBU)
A UFO which sped near a B-29 was
tracked on radar, observed visually and
photographed. [VIII] (McDonald list;
FUFOR Index)
July 23, 1951 (wrong date in UFOE.
See Sept 23rd); March Field, Calif.
Radar-visual sighting of silvery object circling high above aircraft. [VIII] July 24, 1951; Portsmouth, New Hampshire (BBU 943) 7:10 p.m.? Hanscom AFB Operations
Officer Capt. Cobb and Cpl. Fein saw a
greyish 100-200 ft tubular object with
many black spots, 5:1 length/width
ratio, with fins at one end, fly
800-1,000 mph at 1,000-2,000 ft
altitude, leaving a faint trail.
(Berliner, Wilson)
July 30, 1951; Selfridge AFB, Mich. (BBU) At 7:14 a.m. EDT, an unidentified object was observed on the scopes of an AN/CPS-6B radar at the 752nd AC&W Squadron at Empire, Michigan. The speed of the blip varied from 3,000 mph to 28,000 mph. The length of the observation was 18 minutes. (McDonald list; FUFOR Index, Dan Wilson) August 1951 August 1951; Central, N. Mex.
Mining engineer sighted two discs with "portholes." [VI] August 2, 1951; Lubbock, Texas (BB) At 0857 hours to 0903 hours five civilian men observed a metallic looking spherical shaped object hanging in the air. The only apparent movement was a quivering motion. The object after about six minutes moved straight east until it disappeared into a cloud bank. One witness, Mr. Gibbs, was very familiar with weather balloons and he was positive that the object was not a balloon of any type. Reese AFB was located just west of Lubbock, Texas. (Fran Ridge, Dan Wilson, Bill Schroeder, BB files MAXW-PBB14-90-97) August 3, 1951; Nr. Pinckney, Mich.
NICAP Adviser saw a glowing, yellowish UFO which moved on an undulating course. [VI] Aug. 8, 1951; NE of Port Clinton,
Ohio (BBU)
2:10 p.m. USAF pilot Skelops (?) in
flight and ground witnesses saw a 20 ft
dark cigar-shaped object flying at high
speed. (Project 1947; FUFOR Index)August 11, 1951; Portland, Ore.
Former Air Force fighter pilot observed formation of three discs. [V] Aug. 21, 1951; Northern Sea of Japan (BBU) At 12:05 a.m. local time a USN P2V-3W patrol plane at the position of 41 degrees 55' N - 133degrees 52' E, a target appeared of the plane's radar, an AN/FPS-20. The squadron electronic officer viewed the scope and identified the target as authentic and distinct from sea return. The target caused a strong presentation on the scope throughout the 45 minute contact. (Dan Wilson) 12:05 p.m. Radar tracking of
unidentified target. (Jan Aldrich, Dan
Wilson)
Aug. 25, 1951; Lubbock, Texas Famous Lubbock Lights/Carl Hart
photo case. This case may be
questionable, but the next one isn't.
Aug, 25, 1951; Albuquerque, New Mexico (BBU 955) 9:58 p.m. Sandia Base Security guard Hugh Young and wife saw a flying wing-shaped craft pass overhead at about 800-1,000 ft altitude and 300-400 mph with no sound. Size estimated at 1.5x wingspan of B-36 bomber, or 350 ft. Dark, clockwise stripes on underside, and 6-8 pairs of soft, glowing lights on trailing edge of wing. (Berliner, Wilson, Schroeder) Capt.
Edward Ruppelt:
I almost overlooked the report from the radar station (Larson, see next report) because it was fairly short. It said that early on the morning of August 26, only a few hours after the Lubbock sighting (Albuquerque), two different radars had shown a target traveling 900 miles per hour at 13,000 feet on a northwesterly heading. The target had been observed for six minutes and an F-86 jet interceptor had been scrambled but by the time the F-86 had climbed into the air the target was gone. The last paragraph in the report was rather curt and to the point. It was apparently in anticipation of the comments the report would draw. It said that the target was not caused by weather. The officer in charge of the radar station and several members of his crew had been operating radar for seven years and they could recognize a weather target. This target was real. I quickly took out a map of the United States and drew in a course line between Lubbock and the radar station. A UFO flying between these two points would be on a northwesterly heading and the times it was seen at the two places gave it a speed of roughly 900 miles per hour. This was by far the best combination of UFO reports I'd ever read and I'd read every one in the Air Force's files. Aug. 26, 1951; Larson AFB, Washington (BBU) At 8:28 a.m. PST, an object was
picked up on an AN/CPS-1 radar
set and an AN/CPS-4 radar
set. The object was tracked
continuously for a period of six
minutes at an estimated altitude of
13,000 feet and a speed of 950
mph. Initial pickup was
at 0828U (Uniform Time Zone or
PST) and the last plot was at
0836U. An F-86 was scrambled
but radar contact was lost before
the aircraft was airborne. An
electronic signal was received
from this object that appeared to be
a mode one response from an AN/APX-6
transponder. This response was
received twice at approx.115 miles
and at 80 miles from the radar
station. (McDonald list; FUFOR
Index; cf. Ruppelt pp. 96-98,
108-109)
Aug. 27, 1951; Vandalia, Illinois (BBU) 8 p.m. Private pilot Raymond Williams was on the runway about to take off when he saw a large blinding orange light to the SW, radioed the CAA tower but light went out. After takeoff he saw the object again, noticing it was not an airplane, the light was at one end of the object and had a small red light on top, and it came directly at him, circled his plane twice, then headed to W to Greenville. Williams followed, saw object circle Greenville twice then return E towards Vandalia. Commercial pilot at 20,000 ft radioed he also saw the object. (NARCAP; FUFOR Index) Aug. 31, 1951; Matador, Texas (BBU 962) 12:45 p.m. Mrs. Tom Tilson
and 1-2 other women driving N on
Hwy U.S. 70, all apparently of
excellent reputations, saw to
the W a pear-shaped object the
length of a B-29 fuselage (100
ft), aluminum or silver-yellow
with a port or some type of
aperture on the side, move with
smaller end forward, drifting
slowly at about 150 ft altitude,
then shot up in a circular
fashion and out of sight after a
few secs. (Berliner; McDonald
files; Jan Aldrich)
Fall, 1951: Pacific Ocean, off Korea Night. UFO circles a U.S. task force of fourteen ships. Navy interceptors were scrambled. After hours of circling and out-maneuvering the jets, the UFO speeded up, leaving an interceptor behind. In less than ten minutes, the radarscopes showed it was two hundred miles away. (The NICAP source gives the time period as the fall of 1951; others only give the year, UFO Evidence, VIII) Civilian
Instructions For Reporting
Vital Intelligence Sightings
from Aircraft, another of the
Intelligence regulations
governing reporting in
accordance with Joint
Army-Navy-Air Force
Publication 146 (JANAP 146).
Several versions are known to
have existed from 9-Sept-1951
to 13-May-1955. Presented here
is a text copy of the 10 March
1954 version.
Sept. 6, 1951; Claremont,
Calif. (E of Hwy 66?) (BBU 964)
7:20 p.m. (GMT?). S/Sgt W. T.
Smith and M/Sgt L. L. Deuel (?)
saw 6 orange lights in an
irregular formation, fly
straight and level into a
coastal fog bank. (Berliner;
FUFOR Index)
Sept. 9,
1951; Off Nort Korean coast
(BBU)
1850 hours local time. A
high speed target was observed
on radar on the USS Cony DDE
508, operating with Task Force
77. The object was tracked on
a course of 225 degrees true,
with a speed of about 900
knots for approximately one
minute. The operator's
interpretation was "Many
Bogies" on a line of bearing
perpendicular to the course of
the target. The AN/SPS-6B air
search radar was in use and
was functioning normally
before and after the incident.
(Jan Aldrich)
Sept. 9, 1951; About 50 miles off coast of North Korea (BBU) 6:50 p.m. Radar tracking of
multiple unidentified targets at
900 mph. (Jan Aldrich)
Sept. 10, 1951; Fort Monmouth, New Jersey 11:10 a.m. .Several unidentified objects were sighted by radar at Fort Monmouth, N.J. The objects varied in speed from 0 to 700 mph and were sighted at varying altitudes. The objects were observed on an AN/MPG-1 radar set and on an SCR-584 radar set. (Ridge/Wilson) 11:35-11:37 a.m. (EDT) USAF
pilots Lt. Wilbert S. Rogers and
Major Ezra S. Ballard flying in
a T-33 at 20,000 ft from Dover
AFB, Delaware, to Mitchel AFB,
New York, on a NNE course at 450
mph saw a silvery metallic
discus-shaped 30-50 ft object to
their 11 o'clock position below
their altitude viewed against
the Sandy Point area and
silhouetted against the ground.
Rogers immediately turned left
and descended to intercept the
object which then banked,
revealing its flat round
profile, no appendages, no
trail, and curved in more
tightly on the turn than the
T-33, covering an estimated
30-50 n. mi. in 2 minutes (about
1,000-1,500 mph), and seen
projected against the ground
near Red Bank and Freehold, New
Jersey, as the T-33 descended to
17,000 ft, accelerated to 550
mph and covering about 120° of
its 360° turn during the
sighting. The object passed
within about 8,000 ft distance
of the T-33, descending from
about 12,000 to 5,000 ft and
headed at high speed out to sea
near Pt. Pleasant at about 120°
heading until disappearance.
(Sparks)
Sept.
13,
1951;
Goose Bay, Labrador (BBU 969)
9:30 [10?] p.m. AST
(+-0100Z). Two GCA operators
observed what appeared to be
three targets on the PPI (Plan
Position Indicator) scope.
Warner B. Maupin and Cpl John
W. Green, both assigned to
1932nd AACS Squadron, Goose
AB, were on duty at the local
GCA trailer at the request of
the pilot of a C-54, No. 5527,
inbound from Westover AFB,
Massachusetts. They arrived at
the GCA trailer and turned the
equipment on and were awaiting
further instructions from the
pilot of C-54 or the tower
when the following sequence of
events took place. (See
report and reference to an
attached photo on
NARA-PBB89-1203). (Berliner;
McDonald files; Jan Aldrich)
Sept. 17 [16?], 1951; 3 miles NE of Marion, Ohio (BBU) 12:17 p.m. Cessna pilot
Grover saw a black swept-wing
object at 2,800 ft in near
collision with his aircraft.
(Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
10:20-11:55 p.m. (EST). USAF
B-36 radar operator Major Paul
E. Gerhart and navigator Major
Charles J. Cheever on a flight
from Goose Bay, Labrador, to
Resolute, North West
Territories, heading NW at 208
knots (239 mph) over Hudson
Strait, picked up radar
interference which came from an
unidentified aircraft at
relative bearing 130° (E) at 28
n. mi. (32 miles) heading away.
Anti-jamming device on the
APQ-24 radar was turned on at
11:20 p.m. but did not affect
the jamming on the radar scope.
At 11:35 jamming covered 120° of
the right side of the radar
scope and then an unidentified
aircraft was seen visually on
the right side of the B-36,
which was then at 18,000 ft at
65°40' N, 71°40' W (over SW
Baffin Island). Object had
"unconventional running lights"
all white instead of red-green,
with twin white flashing tail
lights, traveling about 30 knots
faster than the B-36, crossed
the front from right to left
heading 334° true towards the
NNW, and was in view about 20
mins [to a distance of about 12
miles]. While the object was
still visible, at 11:50 p.m. the
B-36 autopilot and APQ-24 radar
set went out, the latter
returning after a few mins about
when the object disappeared. ECM
operators S/Sgt. Donald E.
Jenkins and S/Sgt. Doty T.
Larimore on 2 B-36 flights from
Goose to Resolute while still
over Labrador the next day
detected carrier wave signals at
several frequencies and some
radar like pulses at other
frequencies, all below 1,000
MHz. (Jan Aldrich; cf. Hynek UFO
Exp ch. 7, case RV-11)
4:35-5:31, 7:10 a.m. Air
Defense Command sites P-34 &
P-31, P-69, respectively. USAF
CPS-6B and CPS 5 radar tracks of
6,000 mph (intermittent?)
targets. (McDonald files; Jan
Aldrich; Grudge Rpt 1; FUFOR
Index) Sept.
23,
1951; Nr. Long Beach Airport
to Camp Pendleton, and March
AFB, Calif. (BBU)9:25 a.m. (PDT). 2 F-86 jet
interceptors were scrambled
from George AFB, near
Victorville, Calif., then
vectored by air defense GCI
radar to [a target?] at 33°50'
N, 118°40' W (off the coast
about 30 miles W of Long Beach
Airport), where the jets
circled and headed E toward
Long Beach when an object was
seen at 12 o'clock high
position at 7:55 a.m. in a
left orbit at about 50,000 ft
above the F-86's, appearing to
be a bright silvery aircraft
with highly swept back 45°
wings; [the F-86's tried to
climb to intercept the object
but it climbed away in
response]. Another 2 F-86's
were scrambled from George AFB
at about 8:00 as the first 2
were running low on fuel and
were released to return at
8:10-15 when the 2nd flight
arrived. The 2nd pair of
F-86's was vectored by GCI
radar to 33°20' N, 117°30' W
(Camp Pendleton), arrived
there at 8:10 at 43,000 ft
[and circled?], spotted the
object at 1 o'clock high back
to the N toward Muroc/Edwards
AFB appearing at about
50,000-55,000 ft in a
controlled orbit right and
left, appearing as a swept
wing aircraft [that sped up
when the F-86's tried to
close] and the object was
found near March AFB,
Riverside, to the NNW but they
broke off intercept because of
low fuel at about 8:20-25,
landing at 8:45. 3rd flight of
2 F-86's scrambled [at about
8:45??] from George AFB [?]
saw the object shortly after
takeoff seeming to be heading
S as F-86's made climbing
turns up to 43,500 ft under
the round silvery object [at
55,000? ft over the San
Bernardino Mtns. ?] until
breaking off intercept at
about 9:25 a.m. [A 7th F-86
was scrambled to the S toward
Long Beach but the UFO was
gone.] (GRUDGE Rpts. 1 and 2;
Ruppelt pp. 94-5)
Oct. 2,
1951
In a dramatic 10 a.m.
conference in the office of
the AF Director
Intelligence, Maj. Gen.
Charles P. Cabell, the ATIC
officers who investigated
the Ft. Monmouth UFO
sightings and radar
tracking, Lt. Col. Nathan R.
Rosengarten (Chief, Aircraft
& Propulsion Branch,
Technical Analysis Division,
ATIC) and Lt. Jerry
Cummings, gave a briefing to
Cabell and his top staff,
plus representatives of
Republic Aircraft, including
a Mr. Brewster. Cabell at
the end is very upset at the
dismissive reassurances he
had been hearing from some
of his nay-saying anti-UFO
senior officers and explodes
in anger, "I've been lied
to, lied to, lied to!
I want it to stop! I
want answers, good
answers." Cabell
orders an overhaul of the
UFO program at ATIC.
(Brad Sparks)
Oct. 2, 1951; Columbus,
Ohio (BBU 980)
6 p.m. Battelle Memorial
Institute physicist Howard
Cross saw a bright oval with a
clipped tail fly straight and
level, fading into the
distance. (Berliner)
Oct.
3, 1951; Kadena AFB, Okinawa
(BBU 984)
10:27 (8:27?) p.m. Radar
operators Sgt. M. W. Watson,
Pvt. Gonzales and another
Sgt. saw a large,
sausage-shaped blip [arc
shape due to radar display?]
tracked at about 4,800 mph.
(Berliner; FUFOR Index)
At 7:37 p.m. local time
Site 6, 621st AC&W
Squadron at Nigata Air Base,
Japan, established radar
contact with an unidentified
object at 37 degrees 37' N -
137 degrees 15' E. The
heading of the object was
260 degrees. This object was
detected by CPS-5 modified
by an AN/GPA-7. There were
no friendly aircraft in the
area at the time of the
initial sighting. (Dan
Wilson, Jan Aldrich)
1:42 [1:43?] p.m. (CST).
CAA Chief Aircraft
Communicator Roy Messmore at
Holman Municipal Airport saw
a flash on the distant SE
horizon then a growing
pinpoint of a rapidly
approaching object appearing
as a silvery "flattened
tennis ball" when directly
overhead disappearing to the
NW [or SE??] after traveling
from horizon to horizon in
15 secs, no sound or trail.
(Berliner; cf. Ruppelt pp.
112-3; GRUDGE Rpt 1)
Oct. 9, 1951; east of Paris, Illinois 1:45 p.m. (CST). Sighting by pilot Charles Warren at 5,000 ft flying W from Greencastle, Ind., to Paris, Ill., located E of Paris (about 15 miles NW of Terre Haute) of silvery "flattened orange" appearing stationary at first to the left rear (SE? or E? towards Holman Airport?) for a few secs (or longer?) then Warren banked in a tight left turn to pursue the object when it suddenly picked up speed and headed off NE towards the S of Newport, Ind. (Berliner; cf. Ruppelt pp. 112-3; GRUDGE Rpt 1) Oct. 10, 1951; 10 miles E
of St. Croix Falls, Wisc.
(BBU)
10:10 a.m. Private pilot
(Kaliszewski? General Mills
Aero Labs?) saw a cigar
shaped object cross the sky,
dive slightly, level off,
then accelerate. (Project
1947; FUFOR Index)
6:30 a.m. General Mills
Aeronautical Labs balloon
researchers, including
aeronautical engineer J. J.
Kaliszewski, aerologist C.
B. Moore, pilot Dick Reilly
in the air, and Doug Smith
on the ground (also Dorian
and Zuckert). Flight crew
saw the first object,
brightly glowing with a dark
underside and halo around
it. Object arrived high and
fast, then slowed and made
slow climbing circles for
about 2 mins, and finally
sped away to the E. Soon
they saw another one (at
8:30 a.m.?), confirmed by
ground observers using a
theodolite, which sped
across the sky. (Berliner;
FUFOR Index)
Oct. 16, 1951; W of Whidbey Island NAS [S of Port Angeles?], Wash. (BBU) 11:01 a.m. USAF pilots flying 3 F-94 fighters and USN ground personnel saw a round medium-grey object at high speed and high altitude, no sound. (Project 1947; FUFOR Index) Oct. 18,
1951; 140 miles from
Tsingtao, China over
Yellow Sea (BBU)
At 3:33 a.m. local time a waist gunner aboard a PBY Mariner, RD-5, US Navy patrol plane sighted an unidentified light on the port side of aircraft and notified Ensign George Gregory, the Patrol Plane Commander. The radar man confirmed the contact reporting the distance at 12 miles. The craft was at an estimated 4000 feet altitude. The hull was very large estimated to be 60 feet long. The wings were swept back and down with a dihedral at the tips. The PBY made a turn to place the object between the moon and the PBY. The craft turned also and pulled ahead to twelve miles. The PBY applied power and closed to about 3 to 4 miles. During this time the craft was observed with binoculars. All hands on board observed the hull shape. The craft accelerated slowly to 16 miles where it again was confirmed by radar. It then rapidly pulled away to 22 miles and all contact was lost. The total length of observation was approximately 22 minutes. (Project 1947; FUFOR Index) 12:50 p.m. [10:25 a.m.
CST?] Private pilot N.
Manteris flying Navion
aircraft (s/n N21424) at
4,000 ft saw a silver oval
domed disc shaped highly
polished object closing at
high speed on collision
course at about 3,000 ft,
pass underneath his plane,
he turned 180° to pursue but
it was gone. No trail or
vents, upper surface had an
indentation for a crown or
dome. (Project 1947;
McDonald list; GRUDGE Rpt 1;
NARCAP)
Oct. 21, 1951; North Truro, Mass. (BBU) 11:18 to 11:22 PM
local time (22-0418Z to
22-0422Z) An unidentified
target was picked up on
the Plan Position
Indicator CPS-6B radar
set. The returns were
"sausage shaped" and the
target was moving on a ESE
course at a speed of
approximately 1800 knots
at an unknown altitude.
AIR INTELLIGENCE
INFORMATION REPORT,
IR-47-51E states, the
possibility remains that
the object may have been
an unconventional flying
object. (Dan Wilson,
McDonald files; Jan
Aldrich; FUFOR Index)
Oct. 22, 1951; North Truro, Mass. (BBU) At 7:30 a.m. to 7:32 a.m. local time (1230Z to 1232Z, 22 October 1951), radar operators detected an object on a course west and then to the south. The speed of the object was 2400 knots.The length of the observation was 2 minutes. A message from the 32nd Air Division stated, the individual echo returns and the appearance of the track substantiated the probability of these radar pickups being of a flying object rather that some kind of radar interference or malfunction. (Dan Wilson, McDonald files, Jan Aldrich, FUFOR Index). Oct. 26, 1951; Australia 4:00 a.m. The engineer of a transcontinental train on the east-west line was surprised to see the track brilliantly illuminated by an object that came close to the train, seemed to examine it closely and even gave the impression it was going to land in the desert, but took off and disappeared. (UFOs A History 1951, pg. 84; 239 [Valle, Jacques. Anatomy of a Phenomenon, p. 195]} October 22, 1951
Capt. Edward J.
Ruppelt, new chief of
revised Project GRUDGE,
the Air Force UFO
investigation.
Nov. 2, 1951. E of Abilene, Texas (BBU) 7:15 a.m. Crew of American Airlines DC-4 flying Los Angeles to Dallas, at 4,500 ft, saw a bright green projectile-shaped object, about same size as DC-4, streak past at about same altitude and same E heading. Object left trail then exploded, shooting red balls of fire in all directions. Green fireball sighted in Ariz., NM, Texas, Okla. Radiant about 3.5 hrs RA, 0 Dec (Taurid fireball? 3.5-4 hrs RA, +13° to +22° Dec.). (Sparks; LIFE Incident 10?; Saunders/ FUFOR Index?; Keyhoe 1955, pp. 92-93) Nov. 2 (7?), 1951; Arizona [New Mexico, Texas, Okla.] (BBU) Green fireball. (LIFE
Incident 10; [FUFOR
Index?])
Nov. 2, 1951; 30 (35?)
miles N of Mojave, Calif.
(BBU)
11 p.m. Bromley and another
forest observer in a canyon
saw a 30 ft disk shaped
flying object in the SW, 10
ft thick, blue green,
well-defined, surrounded
with a glow of same color.
Stopping their jeep, they
signaled to the object,
which approached within 10
[?] ft, flew away, seemed to
play with them, vanished
"like a magician's trick."
(Vallée Magonia 85; FUFOR
Index)November 7, 1951; Lake
Superior
Steamship Captain and crew watched elongated orange object with six glowing "portholes" speed towards Ontario. [XII] November 9,
1951
After 7 sightings of
green fireballs in 11
days Dr. Lincoln Lapaz,
Institute of Meteorics,
said: "There has never
been a rate of meteorite
fall in history that has
been one -fifth as high
as the present fall. If
that rate should
continue, I would
suspect the phenomenon
is not natural. . .
(they) don't behave like
ordinary meteorites at
all." (Associated Press)Nov. 10, 1951;
Albuquerque, N.M.
The eighth fireball in 13 days was seen here and as far away as Wyoming. (United Press) Nov. 18, 1951; Washington, D.C. (BBU) 3:20 a.m. Crew of
Capital Airlines Flight
610 and Andrews AFB senior
air traffic controller Tom
Selby saw an object with
several lights, follow the
DC-4 for about 20 miles
then turn back, with
ground radar tracking [?].
(Berliner; FUFOR Index)
Nov. 25, 1951; 20 miles E. of Bimini, Key West, Florida 10:42 a.m. EST. Five objects were seen moving south, trailing smoke. This interesting CIRVIS report, although not detailed by any means, came from the Sixth Naval District, Charleston, South Carolina, and went to the Air Defense Command, Colorado Springs, Colorado, as well as several other agencies. (UFOs A History 1951, 243 [Project GRUDGE Status Report 1, pg. 3]) 3:53 p.m. One of 2 USAF
pilots flying P-51
fighters flying W at
25,000 ft, 210 knots IAS,
Capt. William Fairbrother,
saw a white 8 ft
flying-wingshaped object
hovering then pass 100 ft
over and 100 ft to the
left of his fighter, he
immediately turned 180° to
follow but could not find
object. (Project 1947;
NARCAP; FUFOR Index)
Nov. 24, 1951; Lower Michigan (BBU) Six observers at five different points in the lower Michigan area report, the sighting of an unusual flying object between 24/2320Z and 24/2325Z. The object in all cases was observed in the Southeast quadrant travelling at speeds as fast or faster than a jet aircraft in flight parallel to the earth in a southwesterly, west south westerly or westerly course. Altitude estimates of the object are not conclusive in any case but indicate object was below 2,000 feet in opinion of most observers. The object was described variously as round, football shaped, egg shaped and bullet shaped. (Dan Wilson) Nov. 24, 1951; Coopersville, Mich (BBU) 5:34 (5:25?) p.m. (CST). Capital Airlines Flight 94 pilot and ground observer(s) saw a large round object flying at 500-1,000 ft height at about 1,000 mph. (Project 1947; FUFOR Index) Nov. 24, 1951; Selfridge AFB, MI 6:20 p.m. (DST???). UFO and Radar Outage. 2320Z to 2325Z. Two men at Selfridge AFB, Michigan sighted a large oblong and brilliantly lighted object moving at a rapid rate of speed with no apparent audible sound. Object was reported as having a red exhaust. At 2320Z, for an unexplained reason, Selfridge AFB radar ceased operation. Pilot (see Coopersville above) had also heard that the tower had intercepted a message saying that a radar, whose location was classified, had picked up an unidentified return 20 miles east of the station and he assumed that this was what they were asking him about over the phone. (Dan Wilson) Nov. 26, 1951; 25 miles E of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (BB) 4:25 a.m. CST. Larry Schroeder, Capital Airlines pilot, flying a DC-3 at 5,000 feet on top of an overcast on a heading of 260 degrees at a point 25 miles due east of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, observed a ball of fire, orange in color, with a tail behind it of blue exhaust-like light 200 feet long. There was a space between the object and the tail. The object made no sound and flew on a level course from west to east. The object passed the aircraft on the right at an estimated distance of about one mile and slightly higher than the DC-3. The co-pilot, Stowell also saw the object which was observed for approximately 10 seconds. (Project 1947; FUFOR Index, Dan Wilson) Nov. 26, 1951; 15 miles E of Chicago (BB) 4:23 a.m. CST. Mr.
William Verplank, pilot
of Capital Airlines trip
#14, states that at
approximately 26/1023Z,
when 15 miles north east
of Chicago, he noticed a
bright blue exhaust-like
light directly to the
north of him. He
estimated its altitude
at 25,000 to 30,000
feet, and its course due
east. Mr. Verplank
estimated the object's
speed at 2,000 mph, but
states it wasn't
traveling as fast as a
meteor or a comet.
He describes it as long
with a tapered tail
"like an ice cream cone
on its side". He
could make no estimate
of its size and heard no
sound. Mr. Verplank did
not observe any orange
ball or other object
ahead of the exhaust
like tail. He states
that there was an
undercast below him at
2300 feet, but
visibility was unlimited
at and above his
altitude and he was able
to observe the object
for possibly 3
seconds. It
disappeared in the
eastern sky or over the
horizon. Mr. Verplank''s
co-pilot, a Mr. Leonard
Padano also observed the
object, but was not
available for
interrogation at the
time this report.
(Project 1947; FUFOR
Index, Dan wilson)
Dec.1951; NW of Peru,
Nebraska (BBU)
3 a.m. Mr. Barry from
Lincoln driving to Indiana
saw a blue light in the
NW, vanish to the SE. He
missed a turn, went back
toward Auburn, when NW of
Peru he saw an orange glow
in the sky from a
cauldron-shaped object on
the ground, about 40 ft
from the road. He stopped
to examine the 30 ft
diameter cast-iron object,
with a row of 10-inch
round windows 1 ft from
the top, glowing orange;
on the other side a blue
flame like glow. No noise,
no sign of life or
activity, no antenna or
protrusion. Witness drove
away. (Vallée Magonia 86;
FUFOR Index)
Dec. 1951; Red Springs, North Carolina 9:00 p.m. At dusk, Sam Coley's 12-year old son called his father and 17-year old sister out to see a strange object coming out of the sky. It was shaped like two saucers put together, with a cabin like bulge in the center. It was almost silent; a slight "purr" could be heard. It stopped about 6 ft above the ground, about 300 yards from the house. "It gave off no light except from windows in the cabin. Coley said he saw a man inside." After hovering for 10 minutes, it took off, almost silently, "like a bolt of lighting." The police chief apparently lost his skepticism after the interview. (Barry Greenwood, Albert Rosales). Dec. 7, 1951; Oak Ridge, Tenn. (BBU 1021) 8:15 a.m. AESS guard J.
H. Collins saw
a 20 ft square
object, white-grey but not
shiny fly above ridge to
the clouds and back again
twice, taking 30 - 40
seconds each time.
(Berliner; FUFOR Index)
Dec. 7, 1951; Sunbury, Ohio (BBU 1023) 4:30 p.m. Amateur astronomer Carl Loar saw a silvery sphere through telescope; 2 specks sighted at sides, object seemed to explode was then replaced by a dark cloud and many specks. (Berliner) Dec. 19, 1951
(approx.)
Ruppelt gives
his first briefing to
the new AF Director of
Intelligence, Maj.
Gen. John A. Samford
(who replaced Gen.
Cabell Nov. 1), and
his top staff,
including his
right-hand man the new
Assistant for
(Intelligence)
Production, Brig. Gen.
William Garland.
Ruppelt reveals that
his preliminary
analysis of UFO
sighting patterns has
uncovered a disturbing
correlation of
unexplained sightings
around nuclear weapons
labs and
highly-classified
nuclear stockpile
sites and some SAC
strategic air
bases. Gen.
Samford orders ATIC to
conduct an exhaustive
statistical study to
verify Ruppelt's
findings, using the
newly established ATIC
Project WHITE STORK
contract with the
research think-tank
Battelle Memorial
Institute (which
eventually spent
$100,000 on the study,
Subproject PPS-100,
which does confirm
Ruppelt's
pattern). (Brad
Sparks)
The 1951 directive
which outlined
reporting procedures
to be used in Project
Blue Book (1952) was
AFOIN-C/CC-2, subject:
"Reporting Information
on Unidentified Flying
Objects." (Pg. 59 of
Project Grudge Report
No. 3, 31 Jan 1952)
Not believed to be
adequate to cover all
phases
of the project, it
was to be revised.
(Francis Ridge)
Dec.
12, 1951; Hastings, MN
1:50 [3:50?] p.m. (CST). USAF 133rd FI Wing pilot Donald K. "Deke" Slayton [future NASA astronaut] flying P-51 fighter at 10,000 ft at 280-300 mph heading back to Holman Field saw a 3 ft white (or gray) object at 1 o'clock level position looking like a kite at first, then like a weather balloon then 2 revolving discs [?], he overflew it within about 1,000 ft, turned left 180° to pursue and found it flying away from him, then it made a sudden 45° climbing left turn, accelerated and disappeared. In 1980 Slayton estimated angular size as grapefruit at arm's length or about 11° but size/distance data indicate about 0.2°. (Project 1947; FUFOR Index; Richard Hall) Dec. 18, 1951. Andrews AFB, Washington, D.C. (BBU 1011) Civilian pilot.
[Nov. 18, 1951,
case??] (Sparks; NARA)
Dec. 22, 1951; 5 miles east of Columbus, Ohio (BB) 10:30 a.m. EST. Captain Walter J. Koby, piloting an F-84C aircraft flying west at approximately 15,000 feet observed a silver looking object that looked like an airplane without a tail section. The object was traveling in the opposite direction at an altitude of at least 20,000 feet and appeared to be tumbling or rolling until it was lost in the sun. The speed of the object was estimated to be more than 300 mph. The length of the observation was approximately 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. (BB files, Dan Wilson) |
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