Professor William Powers 
Dearborn Observatory 
Northwestern University 
Chicago, Illinois 

Dear Professor Powers: 

Enclosed is a partial collection of materials relating to the Ohio-Pennsylvania UFO "chase" of April 17, 1966.  Included is the complete text of my letter of April 23 to Congressman Stanton, and a trial photo of a composite layout which was included with that letter.  I am sorry not to be able to send more right now, but am in the middle of moving back into my Pittsburgh apartment from Franklin. I've had to shove and push quite a bit just to find a place to type. 

Numbered spots on the map have the following significance: 

1)  Spaur and Neff first sighted the UFO here, between Atwater and Randolph, on Rte. 224.  It appeared over some trees atop a small hill next to the road. They had been hearing some traffic on the radio about a UFO reported in Summit County, and Dale said, "There it is!"  At this time it rapidly grew in size and came from over the trees, relatively small, to a point directly over their cruiser, quite large and bright.  "Like high noon," quoted the Radio Operator in Ravenna who listened to their initial description and resulting chase.  Spaur said the thing was round, about 45 feet across, and about 100 feet above them.  Another radio operator reports that Spaur said it illuminated the ground so brightly that they would not have needed headlights.  (I examined the area four days later; at that time of the morning, 5:07AM EST, the sky was blue-black, just barely light.) 

Spaur and Neff had left their cruiser before seeing the UFO, to examine a  parked (abandoned) car and rapidly re-entered their car when the object came overhead.  While they watched and radioed the description, it began to move down the road to the east and accelerate forward.  The radio operator in Ravenna told them to chase it.  They did so.  Its appearance now was rounded on top, with a cone-shaped light underneath.  It continued to illuminate the ground over which it passed, tilting forward when it moved forward; the light followed it to the rear on the ground, whence Spaur's analogy with a flashlight which, when aimed down, throws a beam to the rear when tilted forward.  Spaur did not see a beam in the air, only the illuminated ground.  This does not seem to me to be unusual, granting the proximity and brightness of the object. 

Both radio operators who monitored the chase (Ravenna and Salem) and Spaur and Neff themselves, described their emotional response as excited and frightened, but at no time did they lose their heads.  Spaur was able to watch the UFO most of the time he was driving.  When the Ravenna radio operator suggested to Neff that he take a shot at the UFO, Neff replied that it was like nothing he'd ever seen before, and implied he'd rather not try shooting. 

Spaur's intention at this time was to try to identify the object.  This motive was suspended until dawn, at which time it was frustrated. 

2)  At Canfield, or just outside the city, the UFO turned south.  It seemed to "wait" for Spaur and Neff to catch up.  It had done this, I forgot to mention, at Deerfield.  It did again near Columbiana, where I65 intersects 14-46, and may have at Berlin Center (intersection of 534 and 14). 

3)  Jack E. Cramer, radio operator for Salem, Ohio, police, had been monitoring the pursuit, traffic between Spaur and Ravenna.  As the cruiser sped down Rte. 14,