The controversial question of whether or not spacemen have landed on earth and confronted human beings is one of infinite complexity. At present, there is not sufficient information concerning occupant reports to make any final judgments on their authenticity, although there is good evidence in a few cases to suggest that at least some of the witnesses could be telling the truth about such encounters.

NICAP neither accepts nor rejects this type of report. NICAP does' have the obligation, however, to investigate occupant reports as fully and carefully as possible, to assemble as much accurate, detailed information as it is possible to collect, and to review these cases with as much objectivity as would apply in reviewing reports of strictly airborne phenomena.

Recently, NICAP has organized a panel of advisers specifically to study occupant cases and to make recommendations for future investigations. These advisers, including experts in astronomy, anthropology, biology, medicine, physics and other fields, have been asked to analyze, individually and collectively, a group of the most completely reported occupant cases in the NICAP files. The general conclusions and recommendations will be reviewed in The UFO Evidence, Vol. II, section on occupants.

The panel members are not being asked to decide whether extraterrestrials have, in fact, landed on this planet (proof of which would require considerably more documentation and unassailable witness testimony than is now available to NICAP), but rather to comment on the plausibility of each case as well as the plausibility of the reports collectively. They have been requested to point out any flaws, gaps, or inconsistencies, in each report, and to recommend ways and means of obtaining better evidence in these and future cases. Obviously, much depends on the character and credibility of the individual witnesses - a matter that is not often easily established.

An example of the type of witness whose character remains unassailable (but whose interpretations of what he witnessed must be evaluated separately) is Father William Gill, the Anglican priest whose observations on two successive nights in June, 1959, in New Guinea, created considerable interest and

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to find an occupant report in which such a credible witness is involved. However, reports from observers with such high qualifications as Father Gill make it necessary to examine all occupant reports regardless of how strange their content may be.

Some general remarks about the body of reports alleging encounters with sentient, extraterrestrial beings may be helpful to the reader in evaluating the literature on this topic.

1. Reports describing a bewildering variety of alleged "space beings" have, from the earliest days of UFO reports, been given to the news media and to the public. At least three such reports are included among the hundreds of press accounts of UFO sightings that occurred in the first contemporary wave of reports in this country in 1947. However, such reports can be traced back even further. (See the 1897 LeRoy, Kansas, report, Mysteries of the Skies: UFOs In Perspective, Lore and Deneault.) At the time of this writing, the number of such cases totals several hundreds.

2. The significance of these reports is that the chances of misidentification of normal phenomena are reduced to a minimum. If the incident did not, in fact, occur as reported, then the only possible alternatives are (a) the account is a deliberate fabrication; (b) it is the result of an hallucination; or (c) it is the product of a deranged mind.

3. Although there are "grey area" cases, the large majority of such reports can be sharply divided into two main subsets: the first group usually describes idealized human-like beings who have readily communicated with earthmen in the language of the region where contacted, usually purveying messages of a religious-philosophical nature and often communicating by means of telepathy (the "contactee" reports); the second describes humanoid beings (i.e., roughly human, with a head, two arms, two legs, etc.), varying in size from diminutive to average human stature, and generally non-communicative (the non-contactee occupant reports).

4. These two types of reports differ significantly in practically every detail.

The "contactee" claimants depict noble beings with Salvationist sentiments who are here to warn us of human follies and to help us through troubled times. Although "contactee" stories, more often than not, are mutually inconsistent (the claimants can't agree on where the spacemen are from or what they are up to), they most often assert that they have all the answers to the UFO mystery.

The non-contactee occupant reports are quite different in character, with very few exceptions. Far from taking to the lecture circuit to enthrall the gullible with ersatz interplanetary philosophy or religion, these witnesses most often are left frightened and disturbed by their alleged experience and do not seek publicity about the account. Their "spacemen" normally do not communicate and do not freely fraternize with the witness. Instead, they more often show mutual surprise at an accidental encounter, and usually flee the scene immediately.

The Socorro, New Mexico, sighting of April 24, 1964, is typical of this "discovery and escape" type of occupant report: the beings reportedly turned and looked at witness Lonnie Zamora, then quickly boarded their craft and took off - if the details can be taken at face value. However, there are a number of exceptions to this type of behavior - particularly in some recent cases, several of which are detailed below.

5. In spite of the fact that the inherent credibility of the two general types of reports is vastly different, both the press and the public tend to lump all "spacemen" reports together. Either "they" are true or "they" are false. In actuality, the validity of any specific "spaceman" report is a difficult matter to assess.

There are no precedents for deciding what "spacemen" ought to look like, or how they ought to behave. One can only investigate and examine the originators of such reports to decide whether a given case should be given any credibility. In other words, could it have happened as reported?

Obtaining convincing proof of a "spacemen" encounter is an unlikely, but not impossible, event. On the other hand certain general investigative approaches are feasible which would allow judgments to be made as to the possibility that the "occupant" witnesses - some of them, at any rate - are describing real events.

In the sense described above, NICAP, after numerous detailed investigations of specific case histories, finds the usual "contactee" type of occupant report not just dubious, but extremely improbable. This conclusion has not been lightly or arbitrarily drawn: the mutually exclusive "revelations" of the spacemen in "contactee" cases clearly indicate that some of these witnesses must be lying; and the behavior of most of these claimants clearly indicates that self-seeking gain, notoriety, and visionary delusions have unquestionably been at the root of their reports. It is not likely - from both internal and external evidence - that they represent real contact with space people. It is just as unlikely that such reports have any bearing whatsoever on the real question of UFOs.

In spite of this, NICAP has for years investigated - and will continue to investigate - "contactee" reports as well as non-contactee occupant cases.

For a number of years NICAP has given its investigative Subcommittee Units and individual investigators specific instructions to investigate occupant reports carefully and thoroughly, and has furnished guidelines for that purpose. Files have been developed on occupant cases. NICAP has tried to avoid polemics about such cases, and has only reported to its members on those cases in which some measure of direct investigation has been accomplished. For some of these reports, additional information is still being secured, even though the case may have occurred some years ago.

In recent years, some UFO groups and individual investigators have made sensational use of occupant reports. Their uncritical handling of the matter has contributed very little of value; to the contrary, such exploitation and wildly speculative treatment has doubtless hampered scientific investigation.

At the same time, NICAP has been criticized by these very groups and individuals for its supposed "conservatism" in failing to recognize the potential significance of occupant reports. If, as NICAP argues, some UFOs might be extraterrestrial vehicles, why then - the critics ask - do we not accept some of the cases in which their assumed operators are described?

Some of these reports do merit such intensive consideration - quite apart from the urgency to "accept" and "reject" - and NICAP has always agreed with this. However, the real question is this: how can scientific investigation be brought to bear on the occupant question so that we may have facts and meaningful evidence, rather than personal opinion and speculation? It was with the hope of getting these answers that NICAP organized the panel of scientists now evaluating occupant reports and the problems involved.

The non-contactee reports quite possibly include some valid descriptions of encounters with alien beings. While this is possible NICAP does not insist that such is the case; but some intriguing reports have been made by seemingly credible observers, whose subsequent behavior in no way matches the

actions of most of the "contactees." Preliminary investigation in many such cases has revealed no profit motives, little or no desire for publicity, nor any apparent quasi-religious interpretations. The reported behavior of the beings, while puzzling in most cases, remains plausible - although it must be pointed out again that preconceptions about how spacemen ought to behave are not valid criteria for passing judgment on reports. To the contrary, the behavior of earthmen following such reported encounters usually provides a far more reliable index from which a judgment may be derived.

NICAP is just as concerned with the possibility that some of these reports describe actual encounters with spacemen as anyone else; it is seriously interested in finding out through careful investigation, without self-delusion or wishful thinking. Therefore, we are taking deliberate steps to find as many answers as we can; to explode such reports as concoctions or delusions, or to establish their validity. This is a matter of scientific inquiry which has been and will continue to be conducted with all due caution and care.

Among the following are some of the occupant report cases that NICAP has already submitted or is preparing for submission to the scientific evaluation panel. In all these cases, it should be clearly understood that in giving descriptions of the reported encounters NICAP is merely reporting the statements submitted to us or secured by our investigators. Scientific evaluations will have to be completed before we can decide whether or not any definite conclusions can be reached.

Pittsburg, Kansas, August 25, 1952

Among those cases declared Unidentified by the Air Force which are reported to involve alleged occupants is a sighting by William Squyres who, at the time, was a musician and staff member of Radio Station KOAM, in Pittsburg, Kansas. Certain features are strikingly similar to Mrs. Suzanne E. Knight's sighting in Maryland, at about the same time (see following case). The witness' report follows:

About 5:30 a.m., August 25, 1952, while Squyres was driving to work from his home in Frontenac, Kansas, he saw a low-hovering object with clearly-defined windows in a heavily wooded area about seven miles northeast of Pittsburg.

"My hair rose straight up on the back of my head," he said when reporting the incident later. He described the object as resembling two turtle shells, or two oval meat platters, placed edge to edge. Along the rim where the two halves joined he noticed a series of small propellers six to twelve inches in diameter projecting outward at close intervals all the way around the object. These propellers were revolving at high speed.

Squyres said the object was about 75 feet long, 45 feet wide and 25 feet high, and was rocking slightly back and forth as it hovered over a field near the highway. The body was of a dull aluminum color and across the top and extending down to the rim of the object were several rectangular windows, through which Squyres could see a bluish light fluctuating from dark to light.

He observed considerable activity behind these windows but it was obscured "like a window shade pulled down. I could see figures behind it." Forward of these windows was another rectangular window which was clear and through it the witness could plainly see the head and shoulders of a single man, sitting motionless, and facing the forward edge of the object.

"I definitely saw a human being through the window," the witness asserted. He turned off the motor of his car and got out. He could hear a steady throbbing sound and as he approached on foot to within a hundred feet, the object suddenly rose straight up into the air and out of sight, making a sound like a "covey of a hundred quail taking off." The vegetation beneath the object was blown about as the object rose up.

Squyres was convinced that the object was "piloted by humans, and not some men from Mars." The witness returned to the scene later with officials from the radio station, who verified the fact that the vegetation appeared disturbed, "like the backwash of where the thing took off." A later investigation by Air Force officials confirmed these findings, and the reliability of the witness was termed "good" in the official report (see Project Blue Book Special Report #14).

Seat Pleasant, Maryland, August, 1952

Sometime in August, 1952 (the exact date cannot be recalled) during the major UFO sighting wave of that year, Mrs. Suzanne E. Knight, a young housewife and mother, saw a UFO at close range with what appeared to be an occupant aboard.

At about 9:30 p.m. on that hot summer evening, Mrs. Knight was in her kitchen when she heard a peculiar "bzzt" noise, apparently against the screen of the kitchen window. The noise was repeated several times and thinking it was a large insect, she went to the window and looked out. She saw a bright object descending rapidly at a 45 degree angle and thought it was a plane about to crash; instead, the object came to a hovering position at a right angle to her, approximately half a city block away and about 300 feet above the ground.

The UFO appeared to Mrs. Knight to resemble the wingless fuselage of a plane and was dull silver in color. Something similar to smoke was coming from the rear. The side of the object facing Mrs. Knight was lined with a number of square windows through which a brilliant yellow light was shining. On top and to the front of the object, to her left, was a small red light, extended somewhat above the body.

On the underside of the UFO was an undercarriage similar to the gondola of a dirigible; this also contained a row of smaller, square windows and was brilliantly aglow inside with yellow light. Mrs. Knight thought she observed what appeared to be rows of seats, similar to theatre seats, in this lower portion. Through the upper windows she was able to see what appeared to be a row of cabinets with slanted tops.

"There was a man in front," Mrs. Knight wrote in her report to NICAP, "looking straight ahead towards the front [to her left]. I couldn't understand what he was looking at so intently, 

After watching for a minute or so, Mrs. Knight left the window to phone the newspaper, but she was unable to get an answer. When she returned to the window, the object was still there but the man had disappeared and the undercarriage was no longer visible.

"I thought maybe it had moved up into the fuselage, because not even an outline of the car was visible, but it should have been because the street light would have shown it."

At that point the lights in the object were abruptly extinguished and the UFO turned from a dull silver color to a glowing red, "like the door of an old pot-bellied stove." (Compare with Mrs. Starr's report - see next case.) It also began to rock toward and away from the witness and gave the appearance of being "wavy, like water running over a rock or like heat waves coming out of an electric toaster." She then began calling for someone else in the house to come and see the object but while she was looking for her sister the object departed. Altogether, the incident had lasted approximately three minutes, at least two minutes of which Mrs. Knight had had the object in clear view.

The witness told her sister of what she had seen, omitting the detail about the occupant (she was certain her sister would disbelieve her); the sister displayed disinterest and a certain degree of skepticism, so Mrs. Knight ceased to talk of it. She forgot the incident until a number of years later, when she told her husband and children. The report came to the attention of NICAP and Mrs. Knight made out a full report in September, 1967. Following this, she has been interviewed further by a member of the Capital Area NICAP Subcommittee. Mrs. Knight holds a responsible job in Prince Georges County.

Old-Saybrook, Connecticut, December 16, 1957

A reported sighting of a UFO with occupants seen through its windows, having a number of similarities to both the Squyres and the Knight cases, occurred in Connecticut, five years later, on December 16, 1957. It was investigated by Richard Hall, former Assistant Director of NICAP and currently NICAP's Research Consultant, and Isabel Davis, currently of the NICAP staff.

Mrs. Mary M. Starr, a resident of Old Saybrook and a former teacher with a Master's Degree from Yale, told the NICAP investigators that she had been alone in her home on the night of December 15.

"I went to bed early," she said, "about 10:00 o'clock. Some time between two and three in the morning, I was awakened by a bright light in my room. I looked out the window and there was what I first thought was a crippled airplane in my back garden. But when I got my eyes really open, I saw that it was a cigar-shaped object, brightly lit and with square portholes, hovering just above my clothesline. I could see men inside. . ."

The object, no more than ten feet from the north side of Mrs. Starr's home, was approximately 20 to 30 feet long and dark grey or black in color. It hovered motionless about five feet above the ground, between the house and the tool shed. She saw no wings, fins, or other appendages. Through its lighted windows Mrs. Starr saw two figures that passed each other, walking in opposite directions.

"I could see that it [the object] was so shallow that the men could not have been more than three and a half or four feet tall," she told the investigators. The occupants' right arms were raised but no hands were visible. They wore a kind of jacket that "flared out" at the base, and their heads were unusual - square or rectangular, red-orange in color, and with a brighter red "bulb" in the center. She thought they might possibly be wearing some kind of helmets. The lower portions of their bodies were below Mrs. Starr's sightlines. She saw nothing else in the object, such as chairs or instruments.

A third being came into view from the left. As Mrs. Starr leaned forward to see more clearly, the portholes faded and the entire shell of the object began glowing brightly (compare with Mrs. Knight's report). From the top end closest to the witness

Since most of the other houses in her neighborhood were unoccupied at that time of year, Mrs. Starr was the sole witness to this strange appearance, although there had been previous reports during the preceding weeks of objects sighted in the area. Because of her background, and because she had no conceivable reason to invent or embellish such a story, neither Miss Davis nor Mr. Hall could find any reason to dismiss her report out of hand.

Boianai, Papua, New Guinea, June 26 & 27, 1959

Following a period of weeks in which both native Papuans and Europeans repeatedly saw what were described as "Tilley lamps" moving through the New Guinea night skies, reports of UFOs culminated in the startling sighting of a "manned" UFO. The object was seen at close range at Boianai on two consecutive nights in June, 1959. On both nights, large numbers of witnesses were present. The central figure in these sightings was the 32-year-old Anglican Priest, Father William Gill.

On June 21, one of Father Gill's Papuan Evangelist teachers, Stephen Moi, reported having seen a disc-shaped UFO descend from a great height to an altitude of about 300 feet over the sea off Boianai. This sighting created considerable interest at Boianai and prompted Father Gill to write to a friend, on June 25, some personal and skeptical views on the subject of flying saucers. Before he had a chance to mail the letter, he himself became the central figure in a sighting that substantially changed his skepticism about flying saucers.

On June 26, at about 6:45 p.m., Father Gill noticed a bright light in the northwest sky. Within the next several minutes, the light became brighter and appeared to approach the witness. He called several others, including Stephen Moi. By 6:55, the UFO had approached to within an estimated 500 feet and was seen as a clearly defined, disc-shaped object, with a small, flat "deck" on the upper surface and four "legs" on the underside.

Father Gill hastily sent for more witnesses. Within five minutes, at least three glowing figures were seen on top of the "deck," and a fourth soon joined them. The figures were seen by an increasingly large number of witnesses until approximately 7:20, when the object drifted upward into a cloud cover. An hour later the UFO reappeared and was seen descending through the clouds. Several other smaller lights were also seen at this time moving erratically through the sky. From then until 11:00 p.m., the disc and the smaller lights were seen repeatedly by a total of 38 people, 27 of whom signed an affidavit attesting to this remarkable observation.

Of the figures that Father Gill and the Papuans had seen, he reported to the Rev. Norman E. G. Cruttwell, who prepared an extensive report on the incident, that:

"As we watched. . . men came out from this object and appeared on the top of it. . . There were four men in all, occasionally two, then one, then three, then four." He said that the men seemed to be illuminated by a "shaft of blue light, which emanated from what appeared to be the center of the deck."

They also appeared to be emanating "a sort of glow which completely surrounded them as well as the craft. The glow did not touch them, but there appeared to be a little space between their outline and the light. . . In fact, they seemed to be illuminated themselves in the same way as the machine was." He could not tell if they were wearing "spacesuits," and indicated the men were too far away to distinguish any facial features. They had the appearance of "normal human beings, from the waist up" (the only portion the witnesses could see above the edge of the deck). "If they were wearing clothes," Father Gill stated, "they were very tight fitting."

On the following night, June 27, the same - or a similar - UFO made another appearance, this time shortly after 6:00 p.m., while the sky was still light. It was seen first by Annie Laurie Borewa, a Papuan medical assistant, and she quickly summoned Father Gill and others. Again the large group of witnesses saw as many as four figures on top of the object.

Father Gill reported to the Rev. Cruttwell that one figure appeared to bend over, as if working on something atop the deck, while another was standing at the edge, with his hands on the rail, "looking over, just as one will look over the rails of a ship... I stretched my arm above my head and waved. To our surprise the figure did the same. Ananias waved both arms above his head, then the two outside figures did the same." Father Gill admitted there seemed to be no doubt that the men were responding to the witnesses' signals.

It had begun to get dark, so Father Gill sent for a "torch" and directed a set of signals toward the object. After a minute of signalling, "the UFO apparently acknowledged by making several wavering motions back and forth in a sideways direction, like a pendulum." The object appeared to approach somewhat, and the witnesses continued not only waving and signalling by flashlight, but shouting as well. However, the occupants apparently lost interest for they soon disappeared below deck. By 7:00 p.m., the object, while still in view, had moved off to a greater distance and by 7:45 p.m. it had disappeared altogether.

On the next night, June 28, the UFO was once more seen by a large group of witnesses but no figures were observed on this night. The extraordinary observations made by Father Gill and the Papuans were coincidental with other close-range sightings made elsewhere on New Guinea on the same evenings. The reports were investigated by the Royal Australian Air Force

Blenheim, New Zealand, July 13, 1959

Mrs. Frederick Moreland, of Blenheim, New Zealand, a busy housewife with five children, was helping her husband tend their small nine-acre farm as well as working part-time as a nurse's aid at Lister Hospital, in Blenheim, at the time her sighting occurred.

On July 13, 1959, at 5:50 a.m., it was dark with a low cloud cover when Mrs. Moreland went to the barn to do the morning milking. She noticed a green glow in the overcast and was half-way across the paddock when she saw two large green lights emerge from the clouds and descend rapidly toward the ground, in her direction.

"I noticed that I was bathed in a green light and that all the paddock was green, too," she later reported. In her written statement to the local police, she said that it was so bright she could not see her own "torchlight" in the green glare.

"It was a horrid sort of color. My first thought was, `I shouldn't be here, 'and I made a dive for the trees on the other side of the paddock."

In the protection of the trees, Mrs. Moreland saw a sharply- outlined saucer-shaped object with two extremely bright sources of green light on the underside. The light from these sources beamed out over an area of 50 yards. Two rows of jets around the center of the object "shot out orange-colored flame" and appeared to revolve in opposite directions. The object was approximately 20 to 30 feet wide and hovered at roof-top level, about 15 feet above the ground. It was no more than 50 yards away from her.

"The jets stopped," Mrs. Moreland said, "and a light was switched on in what appeared to be a perspex or glass roof or dome, which glowed." (Compare with the Ririe and Idaho Falls, Idaho, cases of late 1967 below.) She said the bottom appeared to be of a grayish, metallic color.

There was a faint hum as the object hovered "and the air became very warm." Inside the transparent dome, she said, there were two men, "dressed in fairly close-fitting suits of shiny material." She compared the material to aluminum foil. She said the occupants wore "opaque helmets" that rose straight from their shoulders. They seemed to be of normal size. She noted that one of the occupants never moved.

"I could not see their faces," she said. "One of the men stood up and put two hands out in front of him, as if leaning over to look downwards. He then sat down and, after a minute or two, the jets started off again and, tilting slightly at first, the thing shot up vertically at great speed and disappeared into the clouds. When it did this, it made a soft but high-pitched sound." She reported that a peculiar smell, somewhat similar to pepper, lingered in the air as the object departed.

Mrs. Moreland stood in the trees for several minutes, not knowing exactly what to do. She finally went on with her milking but was so disturbed by what she had seen that, at 7:00 a.m., she went back into the house and told her husband what had happened. Mr. Moreland, employed by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, suggested that she call the police, which she did.

An official enquiry began which included an investigation by the RNZAF. Mrs. Moreland's report was given wide coverage in the press and some time later it was learned that about an hour before Mrs. Moreland's sighting a Blenheim man named Holdaway had seen a white-orange object through his window.

Many people subsequently interviewed the witness, who impressed them with her straightforward account of what she had seen. NICAP has a copy of the witness' first-hand, signed report of the incident. Dr. James E. McDonald, during a trip to Australia and New Zealand in 1967, had the opportunity to interview the witness and he told NICAP that he had been quite favorably impressed.

Idaho Falls, Idaho, December 8, 1967

A more recent report that contains some striking similarities to Mrs. Moreland's story of more than eight years before was investigated by C. Reed Ricks, who sent NICAP the details. On the night of December 8, 1967, Marilyn Wilding, age 15, of Idaho Falls, went out on her front step to look for a friend coming by to pick her up. It was about 7:40 p.m. The evening was dark and overcast, cold, with snow on the ground. Miss Wilding's attention was attracted to a light source reflecting on the snow and glancing upward she saw a large light above, partially obscured by the roof of her house.

Stepping out into the yard, she saw a large, brightly lighted object hovering not far above the end of her home. It was so bright that she was unable to perceive any other color than white. The object was circular in shape, "about as big as a car." 

As she stood looking, the object tipped and rotated partly so that she was able to see that it had a domed top. In the dome, which was transparent, she could make out the indistinct outlines of two figures, but she was unable to make out any details because of the glare. She ran into her house and called for her younger sister to come and look, but the youngster was barefoot and did not come out. Miss Wilding then ran back outside in time to see the object begin to rotate, in a clockwise direction as seen from below. It  maintained its tilted attitude while rotating, and therefore gave the appearance of wobbling. With this motion, it began moving away toward the north. As it receded into the distance, the light dimmed and turned orange in color.

The UFO's departure was observed from inside the house by Miss Wilding's younger brothers and sister, who had been alerted by the witness. (Mr. and Mrs. Wilding were not at home at the time of the incident occurred.) In her written report, Miss Wilding also gave the names of the Schuldt family, neighbors, as witnesses.

At its closest, the object was no more than 100 yards away, and from 50 to 100 feet above the ground. The incident lasted for approximately three minutes. Besides containing a number of details similar to those described by Mrs. Moreland, Miss Wilding's sighting may also be compared with another incident that occurred at Ririe, Idaho, a little more than a month earlier.

The six preceding occupant reports have one thing in common: the reported beings in each case were seen in or on the associated UFO. Also, five of the six reports took place during the decade of the 1950s. This is not to say that all occupant reports during that period described beings seen in or on the object; to the contrary, there are many reports on file in which the alleged occupants were reported outside of the UFO; and in some cases, strange non-human entities have been reported when no UFO could be immediately associated with their presence.

The following cases are examples of occupant reports in which the alleged beings were seen outside of the UFOs. All of them have occurred since 1964. Several of these cases contain features that are unique and bizarre: their reported high degree of strangeness places special demands upon our credulity. However, they cannot be eliminated out of hand simply because they do not conform to what we would prefer to expect of "spacemen" reports. (See Section II.)

Brand's Flats, Virginia, January 19, 1965

William Blackburn, a resident of Waynesboro, Virginia, was working at the Augusta County Archery Club off Route 250, near Brand's Flats, when at approximately 5:40 p.m. on January 19, 1965, he saw two objects in the sky.

One of these UFOs, the smaller of the two, descended to the ground and landed approximately 18 yards from the witness. From it emerged three beings of extraordinary appearance, each about three feet high. They were dressed in clothes of the same shiny, peculiar color as the object. One had an extremely long finger on one Band. The beings' eyes were particularly penetrating: according to the witness, "they seemed to look through you." As the creatures approached the witness, to with-in 12 yards, he froze in fright, a double-edged axe in his hand. After uttering some unintelligible sounds, the beings turned and reentered the object through a door that appeared to "mold itself into the ship." The object then ascended and disappeared.

Following the appearance of Blackburn's account in the local press, the witness told of being visited by members of a government agency whom he would not identify, although he said he was told not to say anything further about his sighting.

In an investigation conducted by Richard Hall and several NICAP staff members, strong evidence was found to support the witness' report of being silenced. In spite of this, the investigators were able to secure some additional details on the sighting. The area of the reported sighting is close to Fishersville, Va., the site of another landing (but with no reported occupants) which had occurred less than a month before.

Munroe Falls, Ohio, March 28, 1967

David Morris, 19, a factory worker in Kent, Ohio, was driving home to Munroe Falls from work early in the morning of March 28, 1967. At about 2:30 a.m., while driving west along Little River Road, he topped a small hill and suddenly saw an orange- glowing object ahead of him. It was in a field to his left, on the south side of the road, and was apparently hovering several feet above the ground. He described it later as a cone-shaped object about 25 feet tall and 12 feet wide at the base, with a small sphere on top.

As Morris slowed his car down for a better look he saw four or five small figures scurrying quickly back and forth across the road, about 50 feet ahead of him. They appeared between three and a half and four feet tall and they gave off the same soft orange glow as the object. Morris quickly slammed on his brakes but, unable to stop in time, struck one of the beings as it crossed the road to his right. He heard a thump at the moment of impact and saw the being's raised hand as it was struck. He saw no fingers on this hand.

The car traveled another ten feet before it stopped. Morris turned and looked around, his hand on the door. He saw a group of little figures standing as if clustered about something lying on the road and, suddenly frightened, he sped off. He did not report the incident to the police because he was convinced that whatever he struck had not been human.

The next day Morris found dents in his right front bumper that had not been there before. He mentioned the story to several of his co-workers, one of whom was acquainted with a reporter for a local newspaper. This reporter alerted NICAP, and the incident was carefully investigated by Charles E. Toner and Roy Wiley of the Pittsburgh NICAP Subcommittee on several subsequent occasions. In addition, Carol Clapp, the reporter for the Ravenna Record-Courier, did extensive checking on the case and provided NICAP with additional details.

However, the purpose of the scientific panel's evaluation is to make a wide-range survey of occupant stories, including even fantastic, one-witness reports of the type usually considered suspicious, if not rejected outright, by most of the press and the public. If the panel finds cause to accept, or seriously consider, such a report, NICAP will announce these findings.

Even if the scientific panel rejects such a report, its evaluation should be of value, especially the opinions of the psychologists who may be able to explain why the report was made and provide clues for the evaluation of similar cases where delusions, mistakes, or deliberate fabrications are suspected.

The first of these three reports is, in effect, a "contactee" claim, insofar as the witness claims to have communicated with the occupants. Despite its sensational nature, NICAP representatives personally interviewed the witness and obtained his full story - which is NICAP policy whenever possible. However, the chief investigator was not able to carry out extensive interviews with neighbors, business acquaintances, school and local officials, etc., which could have provided a helpful evaluation of this "contactee."

The final two cases have equally incredible elements in them. All three have been submitted to the scientific panel for evaluation. As presented here, they are merely summaries of the stories told by the persons involved and are not to be construed as having been accepted as authentic by NICAP.

Newark Valley, New York, April 24, 1964

Gary Wilcox, a Newark Valley farmer, reported that on the morning of April 24, 1964, he saw a bright flash of light in one of his fields. Approaching the area, he said, he suddenly saw an egg-shaped object hovering several feet above the ground.

Examining the shiny, metallic, 20-foot-long structure, the farmer was abruptly confronted by two four-foot-tall beings. They were garbed in silvery-white outfits that completely covered their heads, were of stocky build, and carried trays with what appeared to be soil samples. One figure approached to within five feet of Wilcox, he reported, and addressed him in perfect English. The voice appeared to come from some area on the chest, as if from a speaker device, rather than from the head.

Wilcox said their conversation lasted nearly two hours, during which a number of subjects were touched upon including air pollution, U.S. space probes, agricultural methods, and the fact that the occupants claimed to be from Mars. None of the topics in this extraordinary alleged conversation contained any of the salvationist-type messages usually associated with contactee reports. The incident has been partially investigated by several NICAP members, including Advisor Walter Webb, and recently, new investigations have been undertaken in an attempt to secure additional data.

Cisco Grove, California, September 4-5, 1964

Donald S-, who lives in the Sacramento, California, area, was bow-and-arrow hunting with two friends on the Friday of Labor Day weekend, 1964. That evening, after having become separated from his friends he lost his way trying to get back to camp. For protection, he planned to spend the night in a tree at the top of the ridge. About two hours after dark, he saw a light below the mountaintops, across the valley to the north. It bobbed up and down in an erratic path toward the west and, thinking it might be a rescue helicopter, he lit several fires to attract attention.

The light then approached the witness, rapidly and silently, and he knew it was no helicopter. It appeared to be an object consisting of the light first seen as well as three shimmering, luminous rectangular panels, or "windows." From the middle panel emerged a smaller, domed object with a flashing light that descended to the floor of the canyon below him.

A short time later, he heard a thrashing in the bushes and, having hidden himself in the tree, saw a white-clad, hooded figure, about five feet tall, approach from the direction of the landed object. A second similar figure joined the first and then a third, somewhat different being, described as "robot-like" but about the same height, and with brightly luminescent eyes, joined the others.

Several more of the "humanoid" variety were seen through-out the night, according to S-. These beings began harassing the witness - the robot by emitting a stifling vapor that blacked him out and made him nauseated, and the humanoids by attempting to climb the tree, apparently to get to the witness. He repeatedly drove them off by throwing things down and ripping off pieces of his camouflage suit and setting them afire. He also fired his three remaining arrows at the robot, which upon impact created a bright glow like an arc flash.

After an especially heavy emission of vapor from the robots (the first had been joined by a second similar entity), the witness blacked out and came to at dawn, finding that his tormentors had departed.

This particularly bizarre report was investigated for NICAP by Paul Cerny, of the Bay Area NICAP Subcommittee, in a number of first-hand interviews. The witness has requested that his name be kept confidential.

Ririe, Idaho, November 2, 1967

Guy Tossie and Will Begay, two Indian youths, were driving south on Highway 26 just outside Ririe on November 2, 1967, when, about 9:30 p.m., there was a sudden blinding flash of light in front of their car, followed by the abrupt appearance of a small, domed UFO. The dome was transparent and in it were seen two small, strange-looking occupants.

The car was brought to a stop - Begay, driving, did not have to apply the brakes - and the object hovered about five feet above the highway immediately ahead of them. It was about eight feet wide, and flashed green and orange lights around the rim. The area was bathed in a vivid green light. (Compare this with Mrs. Moreland's report, above)

The dome opened as if hinged and one creature emerged, apparently floating to the ground. It was about three and a half feet tall, and on its back was a kind of pack that protruded above and behind its head. Its face was oval and heavily pitted and creased. Two small, round eyes and a straight, slit-like mouth completed the facial features. Large ears stood high on the hairless head.

Approaching the driver's side of the car, the alleged being opened the door and slid behind the wheel. Horrified, the two witnesses pushed over to the right. The car began to move - whether driven by the being or "towed" by the UFO was uncertain. It was taken well out into a field of stubble wheat, and the UFO kept a fixed position a few feet in front of it.

As the car stopped, Tossie, sitting next to the door, suddenly opened it and bolted, running for the nearby farmhouse of Willard Hammon about a quarter of a mile away. He later reported 

being followed by a bright light - presumably carried by the second occupant.

Meanwhile, in the car, Begay cowered in the front seat in a state of near-shock while the first creature jabbered unintelligibly at him, making sounds that were high and rapid, "like a bird." The second being, who had apparently given up chasing Tossie, returned to the car. The first then got out, and the two beings "rose up and into the UFO," which then ascended in a zigzag path.

Meanwhile, at the home of Willard Hammon, Tossie could scarcely make himself understood by the astounded farmer and his family. After having calmed the Indian down, they accompanied him back to the field, where they found the car. Begay was sitting nearly speechless with fright, his eyes tightly closed.

The engine was running and the lights were still on - about 15 minutes had elapsed from the moment the young men had seen the flash. Hammon listened to their story and then followed the frightened youths home in his car. Perplexed, he later stopped in a local bar and grill to see if he could learn anything more. While there, a county deputy sheriff stopped in and Hammon told him the story. Later, both witnesses also came by and voluntarily told the deputy sheriff, in their own words, what had happened. State Police were summoned and an investigation was begun. It was discovered that a number of local farmers had reported that their cattle had bolted during the evening for unknown reasons. Others claimed to have seen lights in the area.

The report was investigated for NICAP by C.R. Ricks, of Idaho Falls. During his investigation, he learned of a man who claimed that, on the same night, he had a similar encounter. Ricks eventually tracked this man down and confirmed the report, although the witness was emphatic about not revealing his name, and was reluctant about discussing the details of his encounter.

As we emphasized at the beginning of this section, the only verdict at present on these occupant reports (and many others of almost equal interest) must be "Judgment suspended." Conclusive evidence is lacking. What such evidence is likely to consist of, and when it will be obtained, no one can foresee. We can be sure, however, of one thing: when and if the evidence does become available, it will decisively broaden the scope of all UFO research and add a new and challenging dimension to the problem.