Ref# 210 The APRO BULLETIN. (J & C Lorenzen) Volume 11
Issue 2 MIL. BASE
In 1969, the founders
of the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO), Coral and Jim
Lorenzen, published
UFOs—The Whole Story, in which
they briefly mentioned an intriguing UFO sighting at a nuclear missile
complex some 27 miles north of Tucson, Arizona. The site, designated
570-1, was operated by the 570th Strategic Missile Squadron, based at
Davis-Monthan AFB. The Lorenzens wrote,
“...[The incident occurred] on the night of August 7
[1962] at a Titan missile site in the vicinity of Oracle, Arizona. The
case was never published in the press for reasons that will become
obvious, but nevertheless it was possible for APRO to obtain the basic
information:
Our first informant refused to give his name for
publication for fear of some kind of official reprisal for talking
about the incident, but within five weeks we were able to obtain
corroborating information from two other witnesses, both of whom are
known to us but who must also remain anonymous. About midnight that
night one of the night crew who was outside the complex spotted a
brilliant light which seemed to be getting larger and larger. He
soon realized the thing was descending directly over the site, so he
went inside and told another man who came out and watched with
him. Before long the object had become so large that both of the
men were frightened and went back inside the complex where they
informed Davis-Monthan Air Force Base at Tucson by telephone.
Two jet interceptors came streaking in from the
direction of the base, but as they approached, the object took off fast
toward the north and was out of sight within seconds. The jets
circled the area and headed back for the base. Minutes later, the
‘visitor’ was back again, descended toward the silo, then took off
vertically and dwindled to nothingness overhead. The object was
described by all as having an appearance similar to that of the full
moon. Other testimony indicated that a similar object was seen
either the night before or the night after this incident.”
Unfortunately, other than the published 1969 account,
nothing more has been written about this incident. I only learned of it
many years after it was first reported. Despite my attempts to locate
former or retired Air Force personnel who might have first-hand
information about the case, the details—including whether or not the
functionality of the missile was affected by the presence of the
UFO—remain elusive.
Historical data indicate that the 390th Strategic
Missile Wing—composed of the 570th and 571st Strategic Missile
Squadrons—was the first Titan II
wing activated, on January 1, 1962. The first Titan was not
actually installed in its silo until December 8, 1962. On March 31,
1963 the missile complex
became operational.
Robert Hastings
-----------------
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/sm-68b.htm
In October 1957, Congress authorized the Air Force to deploy four
Titan I squadrons. Later that number increased to 12 squadrons, evenly
split between Titan I and Titan II. With their 6,300-mile range, the
Air Force based the Titan Is between Colorado and Washington state. The
Titan IIs, on the other hand, had a 9,000-mile range and could be based
farther south. By locating the Titan II bases in Arizona, Kansas, and
Arkansas, the Air Force achieved a wider national dispersal pattern.
Other factors that affected the location of the Titan launch facilities
were population density under the missile's projected flight path, and
the location of existing bases to provide logistical support.
Project Blue Book Master Index 1-15 August 1962
Take notice to ADDITIONAL REPORTED SIGHTINGS (NOT CASES)
August 7 Tuscon, Arizona News
Clipping
Titan II ICBM Launch
Facilities
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