Washington 1952 UFO Incidents - Evidence?

[skyeagle409]

Check out these photos taken by Air Force aircraft.

Hovering object that was scanned by radar and seen by ground watchers was caught on film by a climbing jet pilot. These unretouched 35 mm. gun - camera movie frames, released to TRUE by the Air Force, were taken at 30,000 feet, near Wright Field, at 11 a.m. on August 20, 1952.

Photo taken from a B-52. Initially the target travelled approximately 2 1/2 miles in 3 sec. or at about 3,000 mph.

When the target was close to the B-52 neither of the two transmitters in the B-52 would operate properly but when it broke off both returned to normal operation.

[quillius]

What many people are unaware of.

these seem interesting Sky!

also your next post which contains the memo which clearly states both RADAR and visual sightings

[Quaentum]

Yes, and in fact, the objects were visually confirmed by air traffic controllers at National airport and military personnel at Andrews AFB. Here is another account.

The Washington D. C. sightings are a solid case of UFO activity. Literally hundreds of eyewitnesses saw the objects, and photographed them. Many of these were Air Force personnel, considered as reliable. Many of them made comment of the sightings, one was a Sergeant Harrison: "I saw the ... light moving from the Northeast toward the range station.

These lights did not have the characteristics of shooting stars. There were no trails and seemed to go out rather than disappear, and traveled faster than any shooting star I have ever seen." The sightings continued throughout the month of July.

http://www.ufocasebo...gtondc1952.html

First let me ask about the radar inconsistencies shown in that article.

1. Washington radar picks up an object and tracks it as it travels over one of the runways of Andrews AFB to a position NE of Andrews. Andrews radar does not pick up the object until it is NE of the base.

2. Andrews sees the object NE of the base and two south of the base. Washington says there are 4 or 5 objects around the range station.

If both radars are working properly why the inconsistencies in when an object is seen and how many objects are seen?

Second, using the same article I propose the following hypothesis as a possible answer to the July 1952 Washington DC events .

What was tracked on radar and seen by people were meteors from two separate meteor showers, possible similar to the Delta Aquariid shower that peaks in late July.

From the article I present the following to support the hypothesis:

Washington: Yes, well the center has about four or five around the Andrews Range station. The Center is working a National Airlines - the center is working him and vectoring him around his target. He went around Andrews. He saw one of them - looks like a meteor. (Garbled)… Went by him… or something.

If the pilot had seen some kind of craft he would have indicated as such but he said it looked like a meteor.

These lights did not have the characteristics of shooting stars. There were no trails and seemed to go out rather than disappear, and traveled faster than any shooting star I have ever seen." The sightings continued throughout the month of July.

Shooting stars can travel as fast as 160,000 MPH. The objects supposedly maxed at less than that speed so I don't see how they would have been faster than a shooting star.

The comment of no trails seems to be refuted by this observer:

Besides the pilots, who last Saturday saw the lights, a woman living on Mississippi Ave., told the Post she saw a very "bright light streaking across the sky towards Andrews Air Force Base about 11:45 PM. Then a second object with a tail like a comet whizzed by, and a few seconds later, a third passed in a different direction toward Suntland, she said.

Her description would be indicative of a meteor. Also I must ask, in the darkness could the tails of meteors be missed?

Finally we have this part:

They were able to sight the UFOs, but lights of the unknown objects would darken as they were approached. Constant communication was kept with ground radar, and as the pilots lost sight of the UFOs, they also disappeared from ground radar.

This seems, at least to me, to fit the profile of meteors. They burn brightly and when they are burned up they just darken as the fire goes out and there would be nothing left for the radar to lock on so they would just disappear from the radar screen.

I realize this is not all the material available for this event but what I have found in this one article seems to support the meteor hypothesis.

[NiteMarcher]

More than one object was flying...a host of them over the white house. Umm...not a shooting star...they normally don't travel in "packs" or more less over the same destination,

can't be meteors either which have no sense of direction also traveling in a group. Science can be wrong too...not even history is written to be correct.

If you're seeing something of that magnitude today, than blame it on either the US, Russia, China or Canada...the advancement of weaponry has changed completely from that of years ago.

Edited January 22, 2015 by NiteMarcher

[Merc14]

More than one object was flying...a host of them over the white house. Umm...not a shooting star...they normally don't travel in "packs" or more less over the same destination,

can't be meteors either which have no sense of direction also traveling in a group. Science can be wrong too...not even history is written to be correct.

If you're seeing something of that magnitude today, than blame it on either the US, Russia, China or Canada...the advancement of weaponry has changed completely from that of years ago.

Meteors break up in flight and I think you are referring to the photograph, already proven to be fake, of objects overflying the White House.

[skyeagle409]

First let me ask about the radar inconsistencies shown in that article.

1. Washington radar picks up an object and tracks it as it travels over one of the runways of Andrews AFB to a position NE of Andrews. Andrews radar does not pick up the object until it is NE of the base.

2. Andrews sees the object NE of the base and two south of the base. Washington says there are 4 or 5 objects around the range station.

If both radars are working properly why the inconsistencies in when an object is seen and how many objects are seen?

Second, using the same article I propose the following hypothesis as a possible answer to the July 1952 Washington DC events .

What was tracked on radar and seen by people were meteors from two separate meteor showers, possible similar to the Delta Aquariid shower that peaks in late July.

From the article I present the following to support the hypothesis:

If the pilot had seen some kind of craft he would have indicated as such but he said it looked like a meteor.

Shooting stars can travel as fast as 160,000 MPH. The objects supposedly maxed at less than that speed so I don't see how they would have been faster than a shooting star.

The comment of no trails seems to be refuted by this observer:

Her description would be indicative of a meteor. Also I must ask, in the darkness could the tails of meteors be missed?

Finally we have this part:

This seems, at least to me, to fit the profile of meteors. They burn brightly and when they are burned up they just darken as the fire goes out and there would be nothing left for the radar to lock on so they would just disappear from the radar screen.

I realize this is not all the material available for this event but what I have found in this one article seems to support the meteor hypothesis.

Let's take a look at some of the reports.

Codes:

AFOSI - Air Force Office of Special Investigations report, from Project Blue Book files, National Archives microfilm collection.

AF Int - Air Force Intelligence Report, most obtained by Citizens Against UFO Secrecy via the Freedom of Information Act, declassified Jan. 1985.

UFOE - The UFO Evidence, National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena, Washington, D.C., May 1964. (NICAP)

CAA - Civil Aeronautics Administration (later FAA, Federal Aviation Admin.)

ARTC - Air Route Traffic Control radar center approach-control radar, CAA.

(Note: Though Eastern Daylight Savings Time (EDT) was in effect during these sightings, AFOSI reports used Eastern Standard time. They have been converted to EDT here.)

July 13: 0400 EDT.

National Airlines plane en route to National Airport, about 60 mi. SW of the city observed a blue- white ball of light

hovering to the west.

Object then "came up to 11,000 ft. [and] then maintained a parallel course, on the same level, at the same speed, until the aircraft pilot turned on all lights.

Object then departed from the vicinity at an estimated 1000 m.p.h. Weather was excellent for observation." The crew said the object "took off up and away." No other air traffic was reported in the area at the time. (

AF Int

.)

July 14: 2012 EDT.

Newport News, Va. Southbound Pan American Airways plane at 8,000 ft. nearing the Norfolk, Va, area observed six glowing red, circular objects approaching below the airliner; objects flipped up on edge in unison and then sped from behind and under the airliner and joined the in-line formation, which "climbed in a graceful arc above the altitude of the airliner." "Then the lights blinked out one by one, though not in sequence."

Next day the crew was thoroughly interrogated by AFOSI, and advised that they already had seven other reports of red discs moving at high speed and making sharp turns.

(

UFOE

, p. 38-39.)

July 16: 2200 EDT.

Hampton Roads, Va. A Government aeronautical research engineer observed two amber-colored lights approaching from the south at about 500 m.p.h. These slowed and made a U-turn, revolved around each other at a high rate of speed, then joined by two other objects from different directions, the four sped off to the south at about 500 m.p.h. "They moved jerkily when moving slowly. Their ability to make tight circling turns was amazing." (

UFOE

, p. 57;

Ruppelt

, p. 210-211, gives time as 2100 hrs.)

July 18: 0200 EDT

Washington, D. C. Radio station chief engineer observed 6-7 bright orange discs moving in single file. Each in turn veered sharply upward and disappeared. (

UFOE

, p. 160; Associated Press story, July 19.)

July 19: 2340 EDT.

ARTC at National Airport began picking up unidentified targets on radar. (

UFOE

, p. 160;

AFOSI

;

Ruppelt

, p. 211)

July 20: 0100 EDT.

Herndon, Va. Capital Airlines flight from National Airport called by control tower to check on unidentified radar targets saw three objects, and three more between there and Martinsburg, W. Va. "like falling stars without tails [which] moved rapidly up, down, and horizontally. Also hovered." Chief CAA air traffic controller Harry Barnes later said in a newspaper interview: "His [the pilot's] subsequent description of the movement of the objects coincided with the position of our pips [radar targets] at all times while in our range." (

UFOE

, p. 159;

AFOSI

;

CAA

evaluation report on radar-UFO sightings.)

July 20: 0105 EDT.

Andrews AFB, Md. (Nr. Washington, D.C.). Five witnesses visually observed three reddish-orange objects moving erratically. (

AFOSI

.)

July 20: 0300 EDT.

Capital Airlines flight incoming to National Airport reported that an unidentified light followed his airliner from the vicinity of Herndon, Va., to within about 4 miles west of the airport, confirmed on ARTC radar. (

AFOSI

;

UFOE

, p.159.)

July 20: 0430-0630 EDT.

Additional unidentified targets on ARTC radar at National Airport. (

AFOSI

.)

July 20: mid-evening.

Air Force radar operators at Andrews AFB weather tower tracked 10 UFOs for 15-20 minutes. Objects approached runway, scattered, made sharp turns and reversals of direction. (

UFOE

, p.160, based on detailed report to NICAP from AF weather observer.)

July 26: 2115 EDT (to 0020 EDT July 27).

Sharp UFO targets on ARTC radar at National Airport. Civilian pilots saw glowing white objects on four occasions, including a United Airlines pilot near Herndon, Va., and two CAA pilots over Maryland. National Airlines pilot near Andrews AFB at 1700 ft. saw a UFO "flying directly over the airliner." (

AFOSI;

AF Int;

UFOE

, p. 159-162;

Ruppelt

, p. 218-221.)

July 26: 2130 EDT.

ARTC radar at National airport tracked a UFO on radar ("big target"), confirmed by Andrews AFB radar. (

AF Int.

)

July 26: 2150 EDT.

ARTC radar at National Airport tracked "solid returns" of "four targets in rough line abreast," and eight others scattered over the radar scope. (

AF Int.

)

July 26: 2154 EDT.

Andrews AFB, Md., surveillance radar tracked 10-12 UFOs in Washington, D.C. area. (

AFOSI

.)

July 26: 2157 EDT.

Wash. Natl [ ] 10-12 objs on radar (

AFOSI

)

July 26: 2215 EDT.

[*]

From this time into following morning, "good sharp targets" of 4-8 UFOs on ARTC radar at National Airport. (

AFOSI

.)

July 26: 2238 EDT.

Air Force Command Post notified of unidentified radar targets. Two F-94 jet interceptors scrambled from New Castle AFB, Delaware, to investigate. (

AF Int

,

AFOSI

.)

July 27: 0015 EDT.

Maj. Fournet (

Project Blue Book

Officer in Pentagon) and Lt. Holcomb (Navy electronics expert) arrived at National Airport ARTC Center. Observed "7 good, solid targets." Holcomb checked on temperature inversions, but they were minor and could not explain what was going on. He so advised AF Command Post, requesting interception mission. By the time the F-94 jets arrived from Delaware, no strong unidentified targets remained and no visual contacts were made. (

AF Int

.)

July 27: 0020 EDT.

[*]

F-94 jet interceptors scrambled from New Castle AFB, Del., to investigate Washington, D.C., radar- UFOs. One F-94 pilot made visual contact and appeared to be gaining on target; both F-94 and UFO were observed on radar and "appeared to be travelling at the same approximate speed." When the F-94 pilot tried to overtake the UFO, it disappeared visually and on radar. The pilot remarked about the "incredible speed of the object." (

AFOSI

.)

July 27: 1930 EDT.

Air Force Lieutenant at Andrews AFB saw a dark disc moving slowly northeast with "oscillating rolling motion." Clouds were moving southeast. UFO entered base of clouds. (

UFOE

, p. 161, from CAA report.)

July 27: 2100 EDT.

Air Force personnel and others at National Airport saw a large round object reflecting sunlight, apparently hovering over the Capital Building. After about a minute, the object "

wavered then shot straight up

disappearing from sight." (

AF Int

.)

July 28:

Daily papers headlined a United Press story from Washington, D.C., that the Air Defence Command had ordered its jet pilots to pursue, and if necessary "shoot down, " UFOs sighted anywhere in the country.

July 29: 0130-0500 EDT.

Many unidentified targets tracked by CAA radar, 8-12 on the radarscope at a time, moving southeast in a belt 15 miles wide near Washington, D.C. (

CAA

report.)

July 29: 0300 EDT.

Eastern Airlines pilot asked to check on ARTC radar targets, reported seeing nothing. CAA official said the targets disappeared from the radar screen when the plane was in their area, "then came back in behind him." (

UFOE

, p.162)

July 29: 1500 EDT.

Air Force pilot sighted three round white UFOs 10 miles southeast of Andrews AFB. Other UFOs tracked by ARTC radar during the afternoon. (

CAA

report.)

Definitely not meteors and meteors do not surround aircraft.

Edited January 22, 2015 by skyeagle409

[Quaentum]

Let's take a look at some of the reports.

Definitely not meteors and meteors do not surround aircraft.

My last post was about one specific article. I acknowledged that it was not all materials and asked for input concerning inconsistencies about the radar reports and my hypothesis was made concerning that single article. You did not respond to either but nstead just posted more "evidence". Would you please reply to my post concentrating only on that article.

In the meantime let us cover your plethora of "evidences"

First let me relist your evidence including the designations and placing the individual events in a numbered list with the dates/times only just to make it easy to see what event I am referencing.

Codes:

AFOSI - Air Force Office of Special Investigations report, from Project Blue Book files, National Archives microfilm collection.

AF Int - Air Force Intelligence Report, most obtained by Citizens Against UFO Secrecy via the Freedom of Information Act, declassified Jan. 1985.

UFOE - The UFO Evidence, National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena, Washington, D.C., May 1964. (NICAP)

CAA - Civil Aeronautics Administration (later FAA, Federal Aviation Admin.)

ARTC - Air Route Traffic Control radar center approach-control radar, CAA.

(Note: Though Eastern Daylight Savings Time (EDT) was in effect during these sightings, AFOSI reports used Eastern Standard time. They have been converted to EDT here.)

1. July 13: 0400 EDT.
   
2. July 14: 2012 EDT.
   
3. July 16: 2200 EDT.
   
4. July 18: 0200 EDT
   
5. July 19: 2340 EDT.
   
6. July 20: 0100 EDT.
   
7. July 20: 0105 EDT.
   
8. July 20: 0300 EDT.
   
9. July 20: 0430-0630 EDT.
   
10. July 20: mid-evening.
    
11. July 26: 2115 EDT (to 0020 EDT July 27).
    
12. July 26: 2130 EDT.
    
13. July 26: 2150 EDT., July 26: 2154 EDT., July 26: 2157 EDT.
    
14. July 26: 2215 EDT.
    
15. July 26: 2238 EDT.
    
16. July 27: 0015 EDT.
    
17. July 27: 0020 EDT.
    
18. July 27: 1930 EDT.
    
19. July 27: 2100 EDT.
    
20. July 28:
    
21. July 29: 0130-0500 EDT., July 29: 0300 EDT.
    
22. July 29: 1500 EDT.
    

You will notice that numbers 13 and 21 have multiple date/times. That is because of looking at reports found online they are of the same event.

AFOSI was made from the Blue Book files. In looking at the files now available online for the 1950's at http://projectbluebo....com/1950s.html I found that none of the reports attributed solely to AFOSI appear on the online files.

I then decided to turn my attention to UFOE which is based on the NICAP files. The events covering 1952 can be found here http://www.nicap.org...1952fullrep.htm

Of the events in the numbered list above, the following could not be located in the NICAP files (4, 6, 7, 9, 14, 16, 17, 18, 22)

Since those accounts are not found in either the Blue Book or NICAP online files, they must wait to be included as evidence until their existence as actual reports can be verified.

#20 is a newspaper article which I will set aside as I don't see it being an actual report of an event.

Those remaining fall into one of several categories:

Observation only

1, 2, 3 (No speed indicated in NICAP report, 19 Sunset occurred at 8:18, 42 minutes before the event so it would have been completely dark so I'm not sure how you would see sunlight shining off the object

Washington radar only

5, 21

Andrews radar only

10, 15

Observation and Washington radar

8,11

Washington and Andrews radar

12,13

The observation only reports lack confirmation by radar. The lack of radar confirmation brings into doubt the solidity of the objects

A similar doubt is cast when only the Washington or Andrews radars see the object(s) but the other does not. If only one radar sees the object(s) then it may not be an accurate radar return, it may be an error in the system or it may be something else interpreted as a solid object.

The observation and Washington radar reports are better but still lack both radars seeing the object(s)

Only two of these reports actually have both Washington and Andrews radars seeing the same object(s) at the same time. As such they are the only two that could be used as evidence for support. The others of course are not dismissed but each, to me, is lacking additional support needed to include them as evidence.

My assessment is there is still insufficient evidence to class the 1952 Washington DC events as alien craft.

Edited January 23, 2015 by Quaentum

[Vorg]

Here are some actual military records from both Washington D.C events in July of 1952. Sighted by multiple radars, multiple personal and multiple aircraft. Source: http://www.bluebookarchive.org/

 

[Vorg]

[Vorg]

[Vorg]

[Vorg]

Here's an OSI memorandum to General Carroll (OSI). It describes the F-94's attempting to intercept on the Jul 25 sighting, Over D.C. One pilot makes a visual with an object, then, when appearing to gain, it disappeared from his view, and the radar scope. He remarked of the "incredible speed"