A FLYING OBJECT OVER ANTARCTICA

WASN'T IDENTIFIED, ALTHOUGH OBSERVED FOR A LONG TIME BY PERSONNEL OF THE

ARGENTINE, CHILEAN AND BRITISH BASES.

MOVED OVER A CONTINUOUS, ZIG-ZAG COURSE

Numerous Personnel of the Antarctic bases of three nations: Argentina, Chile and Great Britain, in conditions of optimum visibility, observed the maneuvers of an unidentified "Flying Object". So state official communications from the area, including one from the Secretary of the Navy of our country. Independently, the "Clarin" has communicated directly with the Decepcion Base, obtaining from the base commander the details of the sighting.

STRAIGHT MANEUVERS

The reason for public disclosure of the exact details of the incident appears to be to set straight the many misleading reports published yesterday, when little official information was available. This is not the first time aerial bodies have been reported over our territory. The case of the flying saucers remains a scientific enigma, dividing current opinion into pro and con camps with respect to their very existence.

In many cases it has been demonstrated that a psychosis can produce a different impression of an observation.

But, in other cases, doubt has remained, and the mystery unexplained. It is natural, consequently, that the first news of the Antarctic encounter was exaggerated, to the extent of reporting a "flotilla of Flying Saucers" maneuvering "a few hours". Shortly after the "Clarin" communicated with the Commander of the Argentine Naval Base, receiving the official reports in this city and from Santiago, Chile, and was able to correct the first reports from a flotilla to a single object, seen in "Conditions of perfect visibility", making strange maneuvers.

HOW THEY DESCRIBED IT

In accordance with the Naval communiqué, the meteorological observer at Decepcion, at 19:4O on the third of July, observed a solid, lenticular form, solid in nature, predominantly red and green in color. For moments it gave off tones of yellow, blue, green, orange and white. This observer was immediately joined by ten other witnesses from the base, who also followed the object's maneuvers. It was moving in a generally East direction, changing momentarily to West, at an altitude of 45 degrees above the horizon at a distance of 10-15 kilometers.

The flight was characterized by total absence of sound, changes in velocity and hovering, suspended in space, motionless for moments.

The conditions of visibility precluded mistakes by the observers for that reason. Visibility was exceptional for that time of the year in that zone: Clear sky, with some isolated stratocumulus, visible moon (4th Quarter). The length of the observation was 15-20 minutes permitting several photos to be taken. The object left at an altitude of 30 degrees over the ,horizon (It had descended about 10 degrees since first sighted.)

OFFICIAL RELEASE FROM THE NAVY

The Secretary of the Navy, through the Department of Public Relations, released to the public the following bulletin, signed by the chief of the Department, Naval Captain Oscar Edgardo Tacchell:

"Sighting of Unidentified Flying Object in Argentine Antarctica

A Flying Object, of solid, lenticular form, giving off coloring of predominately red and green, momentary tones of yellow, blue, green, orange and white, was sighted from the Decepcion base in Argentine Antarctica at 19:40 hours on the third of July."

"It's passage was recorded as generally Easterly...... (missing text due to a fold in the document)..... West, at an altitude of 45 degrees (missing text)...(end of page 1)

The communiqué continues, stating that there was an absence of sound, and there were maneuvers, variations of speed and the object hovered stationary in space for moments.

"The object was observed under meteorological conditions for this zone which could be considered exceptional for this time of the year: Clear sky, some isolated strato cumulus, moon visible (4th Quarter). The length of sighting was 15-20 minutes, allowing photographs to be taken."

"Personnel of the Antarctic Naval Base of Orcada also observed the UFO late in the same day. They indicated that the object left in a Northeast direction (33 degrees) at an altitude of 30 degrees over the horizon, and an estimated distance of 10-15 kilometers."

STRANGE DETAILS

The Chilean Antarctic Commander, Mario Jahn Barrera, confirmed some of the details received, but thought that it referred to a shooting star. He allowed that the collective state of psychosis apparent in personnel in the Decepcion zone permits all types of conjecture.

On the other hand, there are strange details, and the observation initiated at 19:40 lasted almost 20 minutes, for five of those the object hung motionless in the sky. Nine members of the Chilean base, while making routine reports, described the object making zig-zag maneuvers in the air at an altitude of 45 degrees.

CONFIRMATION IN CHILE

Santiago, Chile. 6 (Cables of AP AFP Reuter, ANSA y "Clarin Agency") Argentine, British and Chilean military and scientific personnel sighted an unidentified flying object which gave off or glowed with a white light, at high altitude and came at considerable speed in a Southeast direction. The release indicates the object flew a zig-zag path and appeared to hover momentarily suspended in the air. The information caused commotion, when released to the public.

It was indicated that the British personnel in the area also reported seeing the mysterious object, but they described it as yellow, momentarily and green. They stated that it was as bright as a first magnitude star. The Argentine station at Orcada of the South communicated that the celestial body, seen also at that base, affected the instruments used to measure magnetic fields.

First news reached here after the commander of the Chilean Base Pedro Aguirro Cerda sent a radiogram to the Commandant of the Chilean Air Force, which has jurisdiction over the base. A member of the personnel of the base was able to obtain color slides photographs through a theodolite. He is identified as Aviation Corporal Uladislao Duran. Since there are no facilities for processing color film here, results will have to wait until March of next year.

This information figured in the radiogram released by the Commander-In-Chief of the Chilean Air Force. It was also made known that the British base released the following communiqué: "At 19:45, 5 members of the British base observed a celestial object North of Decepcion Island, flying a zig-zag course, which was visible on the horizon for 5-10 minutes. It's color was red-yellow, changing to green, and was visible at an altitude of 20 degrees." A later communiqué from the Air Force mentioned information from the Argentine base, stating that "11 men made the same observation" Another, from Orcada, took note of the phenomenon and the fact that "alterations in the magnetic field, notably out of normal, were registered on our geo-magnetic instruments".

Finally, a categoric affirmation: "There has existed no prior communication between those bases which could have induced a psychosis about this type of sighting".

END.

Translated from news clipping by NICAP-NYC, 7-16-65