http://www.nicap.org/521206gulf_dir.htm

Loren Gross:

December 6^th.

9,000 mph?

Donald Keyhoe made much of the next case in his writings on UFOs.  If the reader of Keyhoe’s version wonders how the official file relates the event, here is the clearest and most complete statement in the BLUE BOOK record:

            “On 6 December 1952, while flying over the Gulf of Mexico towards Galveston, Texas, the flight engineer finished transferring fuel and I then turned on my radar set.

            “I noticed an unidentified object approaching our aircraft at a terrific rate of speed.  I timed it as best I could with my stopwatch over a known distance and the instructor flight engineer computed the speed as 5,240 mph.  I alerted the entire crew to look for the object visually and some flashes of light were noticed.  The closest the objects came were approximately 20 miles.  I saw about twenty objects in all, sometimes as much as two and three on the scope at one time.  I re-calibrated the set and there was no change.

            “The object was small and possibly round, with the exception of one very large return shaped as follows: “(“ __ moved as arrow indicated. 

            “I also noticed a large return come up within 40 miles of our tail from behind, and then disappeared.

            “To the best of my knowledge, I believe that this object was real and moved at an extremely high speed and was not a set of malfunction or optical illusion.” 185.

            The foregoing information was the statement of 1^st Lt. Norman Karas.  His crewmate, 1^st Lt. William W. Naumann, had this to add: “Contact was broken off at 0535 after a group of the blips merged into a ½ inch curved arc about 30 miles from our a/c/ at 320 degrees and proceeded across the scope and off it at a computed speed of over 9,000 mph.” 196.

Footnotes:

185.      “Air Intelligence Information Report,” by Lt. R. A. Reed, 3510^th Flying Training Wing, RAFB, Texas. 10 December 52. Air Force BLUE BOOK Files.

186.      Ibid, Statement: 1^st Lt. William W. Naumann