The Argentine Reports

A solitary UAO was sighted from the Argentine base on Deception Island, on July 2. and appeared again on July 3 when it was also spotted from the Chilean and English bases located in the same area. The news about the sighting started rumors in Buenos Aires. arousing general interest. Under the pressure of public opinion and the press, the Argentine Navy Secretary released on July t> an official statement with the following headline: "Observations of unidentified flying objects in the Argentine Antarctica." This Navy report is quoted below:

"The Navy garrison in the Argentine Antarctica (Deception Island) observed, on July 3, at 1940 hours (local time), a giant lens-shaped flying object, solid in appearance, colour mostly red and green, changing at moments, with yellow, blue, white and orange shades. The object was moving on a zigzagging trajectory toward the east, but several times it changed course to the west and north with varied speeds and no sound. It passed at an elevation of 45 degrees over the horizon, distance estimated at about 10 to 15 kilometers from the base.

"During the maneuvers performed by the object, the witnesses were able to register its tremendous speeds and also the fact that it hovered motionless for about 15 minutes at an estimated altitude of about 5 thousand meters. The meteorological) conditions for the area of the sighting can be considered as very good for this time of the year: clear sky, some stratus-cumulus, moon in the last quarter and perfect visibility.

"The sighting was witnessed by the meteorologist together with 13 members of the garrison and 3 Chilean subofficers visiting the base. The observation lasted for 20 minutes and photographs of the object were taken.

"In the afternoon of the same day the same object was observed from the Argentine base on the South Orkney Islands, moving away toward the northwest, elevation 30 degrees over the horizon, distance estimated at about 10 to 15 kilometers. The Chilean base also observed the object referred to above on the afternoon of that same day." Unquote.

The Argentine base on the South Or-kny Islands is the oldest observatory in the Antarctic region and has been in continual operation since 1905. Continual records of terrestrial magnetism are obtained there, several instruments being used such as variometers Eschenhagen, magnetometers Kew and terrestrial inductors Schulze. Several of those instruments were working when the object was sighted over the area. A great scientific evidence has been given in Argentina to the registrations taken by those instruments because the presence of the strange object in the sky on July 3 produced disturbances in the magnetic field­registered on the magnetographic tapes. According to authorized sources from the Argentine Navy Ministry, the visual observation of the phenomenon lasted for 20 minutes while the instruments at that base registered the presence of the UAO for about one hour and two minutes. According to the same sources, the magnetic disturbances registered have no natural explanation in the present state of our scientific knowledge.

On July 9, the Argentine Navy Secretary released a second official report to confirm the previous information on the sighting of an unidentified aerial object in the skies of the Antarctic region. This second report is the following:

"Contacts were made with the Commander of the Navy garrison on Deception Island. This officer, Lieutenant Daniel Perisse, confirmed the accuracy of his first report explaining that he had only described what had been observed by all the personnel under his command. He again affirmed that the object sighted was as bright as a first magnitude star, was moving to the east with varied speeds, hovered in mid-air and stopped several times, to follow its trajectory with sudden accelerations and changes in course. The characteristics of the object and its speed permit the affirmation that it was not a star, a weather balloon or an airplane. Seventeen persons observed the strange object, including three Chilean subofficers from the Auguirre Base who were on Deception because one of them had a broken arm and needed medical care.

"Concerning the attempts to photograph the object. Lieutenant Perisse informed that the circumstances were not favourable to obtain good photos due to several negative factors including the low sensitivity of the film used, the distance and the darkness at the time of the observation.

"On the other hand, information from the Navy garrison at South Orkney Islands calls attention to a fact of extreme importance: during the passage of the strange object over that base two variometers working in perfect condition registered disturbances in the magnetic field which were recorded on their tapes." Unquote.

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The Chilean Report

The Ministry of Defense in Santiago, Chile, released to the press on July 7 the contents of reports received from the Pedro Aguirre Cerda base on the observation of unidentified aerial objects. The messages had been sent by Commander Mario Janh Barrera, the C.O. at that Base and were transmitted via radio. The first observation was made on June 18 and reported as follows:

"I have to report that today, at 4:00 P.M. (local time) was sighted from this base an aerial object luminous intensity first magnitude star, appearing east of the island at 60 degrees elevation, changing direction to the left in a 180 degree turn to the west and then turning 90 degrees to the right; moving away to the south following an irregular trajectory at 4:20 P.M. Meteorological conditions good, dark sky. The phenomenon was observed by all the garrison. Avello 18.40 40Z." Unquote.

The second report, however, was the most interesting:

"Sergeant Moya, in the course of meteorological observations on July 3, spotted the presence of an aerial object sighted for 20 minutes by nine members of the garrison. Red-yellow luminosity, changing colours, elevation 45 degrees, crossing the island at SW in a NW-SE direction. High velocity, oscillatory course, luminosity first magnitude star. Good conditions of visibility. Communication on the same day. at 20:30 hours (local time) with English base revealed that on July 2, at 19:45 hours, five members of that garrison had sighted celestial object north of the island, moving in a zigzagging course, stopping in midair for 5 or 10 minutes and disappearing in a vertical direction. Red-yellow colour, changing to green, elevation 20 degrees and brightness first magnitude star.

"Communication with the Argentine base Deception Island disclosed that on July 3 sixteen persons, including three Chilean subofficers. had observed an aerial object over the northern area of the island, moving in a N-NE direction, varying speed, oscillatory course, changing yellow-green-orange colour, leaving a contrail at 30 degrees elevation. Round-shaped, disappearing into cirrus clouds. Was tracked by theodolites and high-powered binoculars. Corporal Duran, from this garrison, took 10 colour photographs through the theodolite. Still on the same day, in the Argentine base at Orkney Island, two meteorological observers sighted an aerial object flying at high speed on a parabolic trajectory course E-W. while luminosity, causing disturbances in the magnetic field registered on geomagnetic instruments with patterns notably out of the normal.

"There were no previous communications between the bases listed above that could produce a psychosis of this kind of observation­which must be of great interest for scientific organizations interested." Unquote.

As soon as the reports transcribed above were released to the press, reporters from the Brazilian and Chilean newspapers requested a direct interview with Commander Mario Janh Barrera He was contacted by radio through Commander Jose Berdichevski, chief of Public Relations, Chilean Air Force, from the AF radio-operations center in Santiago. He reported the following.

"It is nonesense to say that we saw a flying saucer like those from science-fiction stories. What we sighted was something real, a solid object which was moving at incredible speeds, performed maneuvers, emitted a greenish light and caused interference in the electro-magnetic instruments of the Argentine base situated close to ours, on a small island.

"Its red-yellow colour changed to green and orange. It was flying at a short distance from the base at an elevation of 45 degrees, over the north of the island, and moving on a zigzagging course.

"It hovered in mid-air after performing one of its maneuvers, remaining motionless for about 20 minutes and then moving away at high speed. We observed this object through high-power binoculars and theodolites.

"I don't believe it could be an airship of terrestrial manufacture. As an officer of the Chilean Air Force, my knowledge about man-made machines gives me absolute conviction that nothing similar exists on earth in shape, velocity and mobility in space. We have taken 10 colour photographs which will be developed in Santiago.

"As soon as we sighted the object we tried to contact via radio the Argentine and English bases. But such contact was impossible because there was a very strong interference on the radio ­ all channels. With the radio useless and under intense emotion we continued to observe the thing in space, on a clear night without winds ..." Unquote.

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Other UAO Sightings In Antarctica

A report sent from the SANAE base, from the South African Antarctic National Expedition, and printed in the bulletin "Antarctic." published by the New Zealand Antarctic Society, informed that at 20:07 hours GMT on March 18. 1962. a very bright luminous object had been sighted northeast of that station­which is located on the Antarctic coast latitude 70 degrees. The object moved from east to north at small elevation over the horizon, remaining in sight for only 10 seconds.

In the same number of the publication listed above there is the report of another observation made at Hallett base ion a different date). That base is a post controlled by USA and New Zealand and located on the Antarctic coast exactly on the opposite side of the SANAE base (through the South Pole). According to a radiogram signed by Claud Taylor. base commander, an object appeared over the region on July 7. 1962. at 11:10 GMT. crossing in 3 to 4 minutes the horizon in a south-north direction. That object showed three different parts sharply separated, one of them much more luminous that the two others. A kind of "gray shape" could b« seen around the three bright parts, which the observers interpreted to be a "possible condensation trail."

When the object was north of the base it emitted a sudden flash of light without any change of orbit or shape. No sound was heard. The report also states that the object appeared to be well inside the atmosphere and certainly below the level of the austral aurora.

The most important fact of the Hallett Base observation was that the object's passage was registered by a special photographic instrument called "all sky camera." used for the study of polar auroras. This instrument has a semi-spherical mirror which makes possible photograph!; of the whole sky at frequent intervals.

According to information released by the New Zealand Scientific and Industrial Research Department, the colour photos obtained confirmed the visual observation of the UAO. One of the photos of long exposure, showed a luminous trail crossing the whole sky. According to Dr. M. Gadsen. a scientist who was at Hailed base, the nature of the object could not be established baceusc it was not a meteor and there was no information on the fall of a satellite in that region on that occasion.

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The Astronomer's Point Of View

This report cannot he concluded without a reference to an astronomer's opinion on the sightings reported above. On July 31. a UPI dispatch from La Plata. Argentina, stated that, according to an astronomer from the National Astronomical Observatory, "the unidentified object sighted in the sky. in the beginning of July, in the Antarctic region, was as it seemed, an artificial satellite."

The astronomer declared that "the observatory had reached that conclusion after studying the trajectory of numerous artificial satellites in orbit, as well as the data received from the Argentine Navy base on Deception Island, where the object was observed." Unquote.

We don't know the name of that astronomer, but we see he makes good use of Dr. Donald II Menzel's technique to "explain away" UAO sightings. And the reader has learned that we have artificial satellites that can move on a zigzagging course, hover in mid-air for a long time, make 90 and 180 degree turns, change color and speed at any time, interfere with radio transmitters and produce disturbances in the magnetic field.

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The foregoing report gives UFO researchers something which they have felt was lacking (or quite some time, and that is a sighting or sight ings of unconventional aerial objects by several witnesses with the qualifications of scientific and competent observers, during which time the object performed all the maneuver!; and demonstrated high velocity which sets a UAO appart from mundane aerial objects.

The second Chilean report is perhaps the most revealing of all the Antarctic sighting reports. We note particularly the statement concerning the possibility of mass psychosis where this observation was concerned. No one is better qualified to evaluate the sighting and explanation of same than the people involved.

Source: A.P.R.O. Bulletin, July-August, 1965.

(Copy of APRO Bulletin provided by Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos)