Form: Document
Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2007 13:55:09 +0100 (BST)
From: daniel wilson <daniejon2000@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: January - March, 1975 / Algeria
To: Francis Ridge <nicap@insightbb.com>
January - March, 1975; Algeria, Africa
Message sent to Henry Kissinger, from the American embassy in
Algiers, Algeria.
Message number 071792, March 1975
1. SECRETARY GENERAL OF MINISTRY DEFENSE, COL. ABELHAMID
LATRACHE, ASKED ME TO CALL AT MINISTRY MARCH 7. PURPOSE
OF CALL WAS TO ASK ME IF WE COULD SHED ANY LIGHT ON
STRANGE "MACHINES" WHICH HAD BEEN MANEUVERING OVER
ALGERIAN AIRSPACE IN RECENT WEEKS.
2. HE SAID STORY STARTED LAST JANUARY WITH APPEARANCE OF
THREE AMERICAN JOURNALISTS IN BECHAR WHO ANNOUNCED
THEY WERE THERE TO COVER ARRIVAL OF BALLOON WHICH TAKING
OFF FROM CALIFORNIA. I SAID THIS PRESUMABLY REFERENCE
TO JOURNALISTS WHO HAD COME TO COVER MALCON FORBES'
PROPOSED FLIGHT WHICH HAD BEEN ABORTED AT LAST MINUTE.
HE SAID THAT MIGHT BE, BUT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER
ALGERIANS BEGAN SEEING STRANGE OBJECTS IN SKY. THEY HAD
BEEN SEEN NEAR MILITARY INSTALLATIONS BY RESPONSIBLE PEO-
PLE, AND AND ALGERIANS WERE ASKING US FIRST BECAUSE SIGHTINGS
HAD OCCURED SO SOON AFTER APPEARANCE AMERICAN JOURNALISTS.
3. HE SAID OBJECT HAD BEEN SEEN FIVE TIMES, USUALLY ABOUT
1900 OR 1930 AND ON ONE OCCASION IT HAD REMAINED VISIBLE
FOR OVER TWO HOURS. HAD BEEN SEEN TWICE NEAR ORAN, ONCE
IN CENTER OF COUNTRY, ONCE NEAR BECHAR AND, MOST RECENTLY
OFF THE COAST LAST NIGHT (MARCH 6). OBJECT HAS VERY BRIGHT
LIGHT (HE KEPT COMPARING IT TO HEADLIGHT OF A CAR) WHICH
OBSCURES ITS SHAPE. OBJECT MANEUVERS AND HAS BEEN SEEN
TO LAND AND TAKE OFF. SIGHTING LAST NIGHT, AT ABOUT 1930,
WAS FIRST SEEN BY RADAR AND SECONDLY VISUALLY. OBJECT WAS
AT ABOUT 15,000 (SIC) METERS ALTITUDE, ON OTHER OCCASIONS
I
T HAS BEEN SIGHTED AT ESTIMATED ALTITUDE OF 2,000 METERS.
LATRECHE EMPHASIZED THAT IT WAS ALWAYS SEEN BY MORE THAN
ONE PERSON AND THAT IT WAS THEREFORE NOT HALLUCINATION.
HE DID NOT SEEM PARTICULARLY WORRIED, BUT DID SEEM TO BE
TAKING STORIES SERIOUSLY.
4.I REMARKED THAT ALGEIANS HAD PREVIOUSLY ASKED US
ABOUT MYSTERIOUS BALLOON AND OUR QUERIES HAD ELICITED
NO INFORMATION. LATRECHE SAID THE CASE HAD BEEN CLOSED
AND THIS WAS ANOTHER. HE SAID ALGERIANS WERE FOLLOWING
DEPLOYMENT OF SIXTH FLEET BY RADAR AND AIRCRAFT SURVEIL-
LANCE AND WONDERED WHETHER THESE NEW SIGHTINGS WERE
RESULT OF SIXTH FLEET MANEUVERS OF SOME SORT. I SAID IT
POSSIBLE THAT SOME PHENOMENON SEEN OFF COAST COULD BE
PRODUCED BY FLEET BUT COULD ASSURE HIM CATEGORICALLY
THERE WERE NO AIRCRAFT, MACHINES, BALLOONS, OR ANYTHING
ELSE AMERICAN USING ALGERIAN AIRSPACE WITHOUT EXPLICIT
PERMISSION OF ALGERIAN AUTHORITIES. NEVERTHE LESS, I WOULD
IMMEDIATELY SEND MESSAGE TO APPROPRIATE CIVILIAN AND MIL-
TARY AUTHORITIES ASKING IF THEY HAD ANY RELEVANT INFORMA-
TION.
5. COMMENT: OUR 2447 REPORTED THAT MYSTERIOUS BALLOON
HAD BEEN SIGHTED BY ALGERIANS NEAR ORAN JANUARY 25. THIS
WAS EVIDENTLY FIRST SIGHTING OF OBJECT REFERRED TO IN TO-
DAY'S CONVERSATION. WE HAVE NO OTHER DATA ON TIMES BUT
ASSUME ALGERIANS CAN PROVIDE IF WE INTERESTED. LATRECHE
IS NOT AN EXCITABLE PERSON AND ALGERIAN MILITARY ARE IN
GENERAL PRETY MATTER-OF-FACT. WE ASSUME THEY HAVE IN-
DEED SEEN SOMETHING, BUT ASSUME IT WAS A NATURAL PHENOM-
ENON OF SOME SORT WHICH HAS ENGENDERED A MILD HYSTERIA
AND REPORTS OF REPEATED SIGHTINGS. GIVEN LEVEL AT WHICH
QUERY MADE, WE MUST TAKE IT SERIOUSLY, HOWEVER.
6. ACTION REQUESTED: CAN ANY OF ADDRESSES SHED ANY LIGHT
ON MATTER, AND PARTICULARLY ON ALLEGED RADAR SIGHTING
MARCH 6? WOULD BE USEFUL TO HAVE SERIOUS REPLY TO GIVE
TO LATRECHE. HE HAS ALREADY REJECTED MY THEORY THAT OB-
JECT IS SATELLITE OR THAT IN CASE OF SIGHTING OFF COAST IT
WAS SEARCHLIGHT BOUNCING OFF CLOUDS. PARKER.
(Reference: Fawcett and Greenwood, THE UFO COVER-UP [Formerly
titled
Clear Intent], pages 79-80.)
