65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_008

___ ___ 1 62- f§::~3894 ~III LV 344-384 ..J IL ! UI . t­ :r: 0 "' § 8 e --­ ; 1c-:~·: I ~ ~ .-. -~J av: u... - CENTRAL RECORDS CENTER Vol. Serial # 8 344 3 8/11/1274184 ca - c:, ; I !.E: I I FBI CD HG - HEADQUARTERS Class I Case # Sub LU 0062 8389 ..... ~ a::: cc c.:, LLI en I111!11111 1111~II I111111 11111 1 ~ = RRP0O31XGQ ~ .. - 00 C\J .)L/~ j-'~ 3~N­ . .3[fz) • I ... ?~~ ~ iC,k.riJ2d7;;;ftJJL~. Cll-~J..:i,,......JU-!--"-_u..c.14--.\l---9'tli;.___ __.. ~ ~ '-~~~~-­ .. • • - 1 0 .1. .u.:1..Js • .Office Me?J _..... ,1/dum • uNrTEL GOVERNMENT TO Director, FBI (62-83894) DATE: 7/22/54 r,Jl,PROM SAC, Cincinnati (65-1994) 0 SUBJBC'l: ! TRUMA_N BETHURUM; FLYING DISCS MISCELLANEOUS - INFORMATION CONCERNING (ESPIONAGE) Remylet 6/8/54 and Bulet 6/22/54. Attached are five copies of a memorandtnn containing information set out in my letter of June 8, ~ 1954 with additional information furnished by THOMAS ---11:ICKHOFF on Ju.iy 2, 1954. On July 2, 1954, although EICKHOFF had been so advised at the time of the original interview with him on June 7, 1954, he was again advised in accordance with instructions in reBulet. RCD:SAS REGISTERED MAIL ENCLOSURES (5) INDEX D 79 AGENtV/ ' ..::.::;:;;~.....:::: I rt. J', /r t'J.13 {.O i> $/ ­ ~ .. .. • z~f L ·;1r ~ !• .11 .<' I , ! ld:£j a, , '. .,, N ·s l : ',? ~ -• · ' TRUMAN BETHURUM FLYING ll SCS On June 7, 1954, Mr. Thomas Eickhoff, 3721 Tappan Avenue, Cincinnati 23, Ohio, Operator of Tom's Beauty Salon, Neave Building, Fourth and Race Streets, Cincinnati, Ohio, advised that although he belongs to no organization interested 1n f'lyi saucers or discs, he has been interested in this subject. He said on June 3, 1954 an ad appeared in 'The Cincinnati Enquirt11t" 11 , a newspaper of general. circu­ lation in Cincinnati, Ohio, to the effect that on June 11, 1954 a program would be presented a he Ta!'t Auditorium in Cincinnati, Ohio on 11 the r aJ. flying saucer story." Mr. Eickhoff advised that this advertise­ ment disclosed no sponsor for this program and it was only noted on the ad that tickets for the program sold for ~2.00 per person and would be on sale at the Central Ticket Off'ice in Cincinnati. Mr. Eickhoff continued that because of his interest in the subject of flying saucers, he desired to know the sponsor of the program and found out fro the Central Ticket Of'fice that the ad had been placed by Henr,....-tmday, 364 West Lewiston Avenue, Ferndale 20, Michigan. He said he telephonically contacted Maday on June 3, 1954 and found that Maday was only the agent having rented the Taft Auditorium and that he was acting on behalf of Truman Bethurum and George Hunt Williamson. He continued that on June 4, 1954 Maday cal.led him back an told him there had been a dis­ agreement between Maday, Bethurum and filliamson over Maday's arrangement for the sale of tickets of the program and the renting of the auditorium. Eickhoff advised that Maday at no time said anything to discredit either Bethurum or Williamson and indicated that their d.isagreement concerned only Maday's placing the ad in "The Cincinnati Enquirer" prior to having tickets for the program available in Cincinnati . .orIES DE TROY , 27 NOV 919 4 I .,. ' ' Mr. Eickhoff further related that about ten minutes after he had talked to Maday on Friday, June 4, 1954, he received a call from George ffim.t__fillliamson and a Mr.,.....Manspeaker, who conf:l.rmed to him that Maday was no longer associated with them, and asked that Eickhoff meet with them at a luncheon at the Terrace Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio on June 7, 1954. Mr. Eickhoff, in explanation of his interest in this matter, advised that he had read such books as "Flying Saucers From Outer Space ," written by Donald E. Kehoe, retired major, U.S. Marine Corps, which book was r,ublished by Harper's Publishers, and a book entitled 'Flying Saucers Have Landed," by George Adamski, which book is published by Werner-Lowery Company in England, and is distributed by the British Book Center in New York City. He said that he has also heard broadcasts by persons he considers reputable news commentators, such as Walter Winchell, Fulton Lewis, Jr., and Frank Edwards, to the effect that reliable persons have reported observing flying discs or saucers. He said contrary to these reports, the U.. Air Force has denied the existence of the flying saucer and he felt that persons such as Truman Bethurum and George Hunt Williamson, in presenting a program such as that contemplated, were either truthful or they were frauds. He stated that if they had a true story to tell, then he felt it was of such nature that it should be given as wide a distribution as possible, so that the people might learn the true facts regarding flying discs. He said, however, if their story was not true, then the hold­ ing of such a meeting as was contemplated would be a fraud on the general public. He estimated that such a meeting in Cincinnati might draw two thousand people , which, at $2.00 apiece, would result in a 4,000.00 take for the promoters. To i dentify Truman Bethurum, Mr. Eickhoff had with him two copies of the magazine "Valor, 11 'Which he stated he got from Bethurum, this magazine being self-identified as the 11 Golden Times Weekly," published by Soul Craft Chapels, Post Office Box 192, Noblesville , Indiana. The two issues which Mr. Eickhoff had with him were numbers 15 and 16 of volume 6 of the publication, the number 15 being - 2 ­ ' ' dated February 6, 1954 and number 16 being dated February 13, 1954. The number 15 issue contained an article concerning Truman Bethurum, in which he is identified as a truck driver from Redondo Beach, Calif­ ornia, and it refers to an article dated December 31, 19.53, which appeared in the 11 Daily Breeze, 11 a newspaper at Redondo Beach, California, which allegedly contained a description of an encounter which Truman Bethurum had with a crew of assumed space explorers under the super­ vision of a ravishing woman commandant in the Nevada desert. The article also reflects that Trwnan Bethurum allegedly was aboard flying saucers on eleven occasions. At the bottom of the first page of issue number 15 there appeared in what Mr. Eickhoff stated was the handwriting of Truman Bebhurum the statement "This is a true story, a factual experience -- Truman Bethu.rum. 11 The above mentioned article in "Valor 11 also reflected that Truman Bethurum is 55 years of age and that his residence address is .519 North Gertruda Avenue, Redondo Beach, California. Mr. Eickhoff reiterated that he felt Bethurum. 1s story, if true, should be given wide publicity, but that if the story was false, then he should be prosecuted for fraud. He stated that he first took his information to the Air Force in the person of Lieutenant Colonel John 0 1Mara of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, whom Eickhoff visited personally at 0 1Mara 1s home in Fairborn, Ohio, on Sunday, June 6, 1954. Eickhoff indicated that he asked Colonel 0 1Mara if there were such things as flying saucers and if Bethurum1s story could be true, and he said 0 1Mara denied that there was such at hing as a flying saucer and indicated to him that Donald E. Kehoe, the author of "Flying Saucers in Outer Space' was a fraud and that information is available in Washington that Kehoe is a fraud. He said he was advised, however, by Colonel 0 1Mara that the Air Force could take no action with respect to Bethurum or Williamson. Eickhoff continued that it was his intention to aid in the promotion of a meeting for Bethurum in Cincinnati. He advised that the original meeting schedule for June 11 - 3 ­ ' ' had been cancelled, and that he felt this meeting had such important information for the people as a whole that he was going to make every effort to make the meeting one of national. significance. He said he in­ tended to invite to the meeting all nationally prominent news commentators. He intended to try to get radio time to advertise the meeting but he did not wish to partici­ pate in this matter in any way if it would violate security regulations in any manner, or if Bethurum and his associates were in any way fraudulent. He stated that he so informed Bethurum, Williamson and Mr. Manspeaker at the luncheon meeting which was held at the Terrace Plaza Hotel on June 7, 1954. They informed him that they were not afraid of an investigation; that Bethu.rum 1 s story was factual, and that they had no objec­ tion to Eickhoff 1s advising Government authorities regarding it. Mr. Eickhoff stated that his report to this office was part of his plan to inform all the Federal agencies he thought should know about the activities of Bethurum. He advised that in line with his contemplated plans that on the evening or June 7, 1954 there was to be another meeting at the home of L. H.-Stringfield, 7017 Britton Avenue, Cincinnati 27, Ohio, at which meeting there would be Mr. Stringfield, Williamson, Manspeaker, Bethurum., Ralp~immermann and Mr-. Eickho.ff. He said at this meeting they would plan a method of operation and make arrangements for this meeting of national significance . He said he intended to set the date of the meeting far enough in advance so that if any Governmental agency determined that there was fraud involved that agency would have sufficient time to act prior to the holding of the meeting. He advised he intended to keep a detailed record of all actions taken by this group, and that he would voluntarily furnish such in£ormation to the F.B.I. Eickhoff advised that he had not known and had not met either Bethurum, Williamson or Manspeaker prior to the events described above. He said that George Hunt Williamson identified himself as an archeologist and a writer for the magazine 'Valor," who resides in Noblesville, Indiana. - 4 ­ ' ' I ' He said that Manspeaker, whose first name he did not know, is also connected with 0 Valor 11 magazine in some way. He was asked as to what interest •tvalor magazine has in Bethurum, and whether Bethurum was sponsored by any other organization. He advised that he did not lmow the interest of nvalor" magazine in Bethurum, and so .far as he knew, Bethurum was acting on his own and had no organizational af'filiations or sponsorship. He was asked as to what disposition would be made of receipts from a large meeting and he advised that he did not know what disposition would be made of the money. He said he understood that Bethurum had been on tour for soine time and that the meeting scheduled for Cincinnati originally on June 11, 19.54 was to be the beginni.ng of a new series of meetings. William Dudle,-;Belley, Noblesville, Indiana reportedly operates the Soul Craft Press at Noblesville and among other pamphlets, published the weekly journal entitled "Valor", which Mr. Pelley describes as a "journal of the applied spirituality." This publication is said to deal mainly with practical mysticism, the spiritual movement called Soulcraft and the relat1onshop between earth man and the individuals arriving on this planet from flying saucers. Mr. Pelley is said to claim that these individuals arriving in flying saucers are of greater intelligence and learning than the earth people and are here to give the earth people intellectual guidance and spiritual endowment and guidance. On July 2, 1954, Thomas Eickhoff advised that no progress had been made with respect to holding a meeting for Truman Bethurum in Cincinnati, Ohio which would be of national significance. He said that Bethurum had returned to California but that there was a possib­ ility that he would a ain come to Cincinnati, Ohio in the f'all of 1954. At the same time Mr. Eickhoff advised that he had communicated with Donald E~hoe, author of the book Flying aucers From Outer Space 11 and had advised him that he had been inf'ormed by Lieutenant Colonel John 01Mara, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio that he was a fraud and that information is avail­ - 5 ­ ' able in Washington that Kehoe is a fraud . He said that he, Eickhoff, had been requested by Kehoe to furnish him this information in writing and that he, Eickhoff, had obliged Kehoe in this respect. He said he understood that Kehoe was going to Washington with his attorneys to take up Colonel 0 1Mara 1s statements with the Air Force. - 6 ­ UNITED ST.t, TES GOVERNMENT · i TO Director, FBI DA'l'B : 8/2/54 SAC, Cincinnati (62-0) ~ : ~NG SAUCE REPORT ~ ~ CT, INFORMATION CONCERNING /~ RI' "­ ~?­ Colonel J.M. SMITH, Deputy Director of Civilian Defense for Greater Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio, ealled this ofrice on 7/23/54 to report that he had re­ ce~ved a report of a flying saucer from Mr. CARL ,R. SER, Route 1, Milford, Ohio. Mr. KEYSER said that he could be reached at his resi ence which is two miles east of Milford, Ohio, on u. s. Highway 28. KEYSER reported to Colonel SMITH that both he and his wife, at approximately 2:40 p.m. on 7/23/54, had observed a silver cirou1ar or spherical shape in the sky which was located to the southeast of their residence, approximately forty-five degrees above the horizon. Colonel SMITH was advised that the report made by him was being referred to the appropriate officials of the United States Air Force. I have advised the local office of the Office of Special Investigations at Wright-Patterson Air Force 0£ the above. • ; ;,AN~• FORM NO. 84 • • • : . ' .Office Memorandum • UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT DATB: 6/2/54 TO DIRECTOR, FBI SAC, 0 (62~) s. CES S G MISCELLANEOUS - INFO TION CONCERNING This interview is predicated upon a telephone call received by SAC L. L . UG on 7/29/5'4 fr J01I:";,~~n··so , Security Officer, Bureau of Aeronautics , U. S. Navy Department. On the same date JOHN HlfrSON was interviewed in Room 2912, Main Navy Building. Also present during the interview was Commander L. T. UISTON, USN. HtJrSON and M.c UISTO furnished t he i'ollowing information: / They advised that the Office of Naval Intelligence had forwarded a file to the Bureau of Aeronautics 1'7ith enclosures hich had been received ~u•"C:-~i from retired A • al HERBERT B. Oil.LES of South Berwick, ccord­ ing to HUTSON d cQUISTO , KNO,~ resic.ed near Mrs. who had been receiving messages through to t transmission. S :AN approached KNO and advised him that "flying saucers" ere here to help mankind. Information received by HUTSO indicated that KNO;n:.ES became interested in the messages receiva:ilby r s . S iAN and felt that the matter should be investigated by the Government. HUTSO advised that KNO,n.ES ote to Admiral PEY, Director of Naval ntelligence, on 6/1/54 enclosing some of the messages received by Mrs . SWAN. Receiving no reply to his original communication, KNO /LES again wrote ONI on 6/7/54. HUTSO advi ed that the first letter that KNO fLES W11ote to ONI cont· ed information that Mrs . S AN ,,as receiving messages through thought control fran "outer space" and wrote them down as she received them. The letter, according to HtrrSON, stated that r s . SWAN would write without any effort on her part and would write continuousl for four or five hours at a time tbout getting tired. He stated that ONI had in their possession the transmissions or messages that had been received by s . S • HUTSON stated that ONI bad advised that in the absence of any ( definite evidence of' conversations, they ould do nothing in the matter. He also 'stated that the Bureau of Aeronautics took no official action in CAG : jfa f OED • 150 ED-15.0 1- ~ ­ 2 .-109 1 54 - RECE\VED Aue 3 IO 06 .-\ ' lf \ . , • t • -. YFO 62-0 in the matter. IDJrSON was questioned concerning the position that the Bureau of Aeronautics had taken and he remarked that he did not believe that this ( s pertinent. ter further questioning, he subsequently stated that the Bureau of Aeronautics ras of the belief that this was a matter for ONI. mrrsoN stated that be 11unof.ficially11 became interested in the matter and at the invitation of Admir 1 OWLES,. he went to South Berwick,. Maine,. where he spent 7/24,25,26/54 in the residence of Admiral KNQ;iLES. RUrSON stated that he infonned Admiral S UCEK, his superior in the Bureau of Aeronautics, that he was going to visit Admiral KNO!JLES. IIDTSON stated that inasmuch as KNOWLES had received no response from the Government concerning this matter, he began reading books on flying saucers . HUTSON au.vised that during the ti.me that he was a house guest of Admiral O','ILE,S,. there was also pres t ER • ITH, a Physicist of the Canadian Government rho was also interested in flying saucers. HUTSO stated that ITH was at KN<l'IIES I residence With bis family and was there in an 'lmofficial capacity. HUTSON advised that during his stay, he and SUTH had various intervie ,s with Mrs . AN and had had contact •th the II outer space" through rs . SW. • Du.ring the interview with Mrs. SWAN and the contact with 11 outer space, 11 HUTSON stated that they sat in a group and he observed Mrs. S1 writing messages that she was receiving from someone in 11outer space. 11 ccording to HUTSON, S informed him that tbe people from 11 outer space" could use her eyes and ears to see and hear. According to SW , this is accanplis.bed by t e use of a mechanical device an all conversations are recorded by the people in "outer space. 11 HOTSON indicated as an example as to how mess ges ere relayed, be stated that he asked Mrs. S AN a question which s aa to relay to the people in "outer space" and before she had ti.me to relay the question., she began writing the answer down to b:is question on paper. HUI'SON stated that S ,AN in.formed him that whenever she was to have contact ,nth the people in "outer space, 11 she ou.ld get a buzzing sound in her left ear to indicate that they were "on the line . " HUTSON stated that Mrs. complained to the people in 11 outer space'' that this buzzing sound gets very annoying and painful to her ear. She al.so stated that the essages had been caning since ay 27, 19.54, and ould come at all times of the night and consequently she was losing a great deal of sleep. According to HUTSON, s . AN arranged a schedule With the people in 11 outer space" so that the messages would not interfere with her sleep. HUTSON advised that a schedule was arranged between S l and the people in "outer space 11 that she ,10uld receive messages on the following schedule: 8:00 in the morning, 12 noon, 6:00 in the evening, every day of the eek. - 2 ­ • ·' • VlFO 62 - HUTSON stated that Mrs . SWAN 1 s husband, G iAN, and their daughter, DAWL , bad also heard the buzzing sound in their ears , but have not been able to receive transmissions or messages . HUl'SON stated that the transmissions related to flying saucers, location and why they ere hen!, life on other planets , and life in the hereafter, and rophesies in the Bible. HUTSON advised that rs . S AN could contact people in 11outer space11 by mental thought control . According to HUTSON, s . stated that there were two space sbips from wbich she had been receiving messages . They were described as 150 miles wide, 200 miles in length, and 100 miles in depth. HUTSON stated that these ships are designated as -4 an L- 1 and they also contain mother ships hich measure approximately 150 to 200 feet in length. HUTSO related that S AN had informed him that there ere approximately 5,000 of these mother ships . Re stated tha1r-l'AFFA11 is the Manager or the Conunander of the ship -4 hich is from the planet Uranus an O II is the ger or the Canmander of the ship L- 11 which is from the planet Hatann. HUTSON related that Mr • S AN stated that these contacts With 11AFF II and 11PO AR11 were for the purpose of protecting our own earth from destruction caused by the explosion of the atom bomb, hyr ogen bomb, and wars of various kinds hich they, 11 AFF II and ''PONN , 11 say disrupt the magnetic field of force which surrounds the earth. HUTSON stated that Mrs . S~ also related that contact was ade for the purpose of protecting the whole universe because if the flfault lines" break or go to pieces , it would effect the entire universe . According to Mrs . , HUTSON stated, 11 A11 and "PO n are presently working i n the area of the Pacific Ocean repairing "fault lines" which are in dan er of breaking. HUTSON stated that both he and SMITH were looking for proof and they anted to kn whether they could contact the man from 11 outer space . " According to HUTSON, S advised that he and SMITH could make contact in 11outer space 11 on any frequency proVided they informed her first of the frequency that they were to use so that she could advise the people in 11 outer space . 11 HUTSON stated that in connection with his contacting nouter space , 11 he could make no commitment as he did not know how far the Navy would go . He advised, however, that ITH stated that he would try to ake contact th "outer space" on Sunday, August 1, 1954, and was going to use a high frequency. HUTSON stated that to make sure that con­ tact was made , s . dvised that the ship from 11 outer space 11 ould come within 100 miles of ottawa, Canada, so that S TH would have no difficulty in m.ald.ng his contact. HU'ISON stated that Admiral KNO, anted to kno if physical contact could be had th the people in "outer space . 11 SW advised HurSON and KNO n.ES that the people in 11 outer space" anted to know if they could provide them protection and that if physical contact were to be made , they would appear in a force which would consist of 5,000 11bells" or "flying saucers . 11 - 3 ­ • ~ • . .. . ... . ' • ... I .,.-·. • t ... ifFO 62-0 According to s. SVIAN, these 11bells 11 or 11flying saucers" would appear over many nations of the world during the latter part of August 1954, and would come close enough to the earth so that they could be seen by man and that they in turn would be able to see people on the street. I HUTSON stated that Admiral KNO n.ES wrote a letter to G.ARET CHASE SM.ITH, Senator fran Maine, concerning this information, who forwarded the information to the Secretary of Defense and copies were sent to the Anny, Navy, and Air Force . According to HUTSON, KNOWLES also wrote a letter to the President of the United States. HurSON stated that none of the persons involved in this matter were interested in publicity. He stated that he would be willing to assist the Bureau in the investigation of this matter if the Bureau desired, ina~ch as he believed Mrs . S tAN and Admiral KN07lLES had confidence in him. HUTSON described s. FRANCES S ¥'. as being of middle-class cir­ cUlllstances, having a very modest hane with furniture below middle-class. He stated that she has no more than a high school education, if she has that. He considered her to be a very simple minded person, religious, a student of the Bible, and one who has studied spiritualism and other thought control systems. ~ The above information is being made available to the Office of Special Invesitgations , United States Air Force, and no further action is being taken by this office. - 4 ­ lf2~ C • • . ., I • - Ut.U. \~ ,,,. ,,,&,; -., ~tC~ - y I --rL __,_/ I E1 -lffi te1 gu t 9., 1954 0 ])tr of tigation 'h 11cto p nt o ore The ago htngton 25., D. c. John Ed r, Dir, o r I ral f In11 ttgatlon bj ct. On. Ji ly l , . O 'J't c r., r au o ro t t , at v Depart nt., and nd r L. . ., iJ tat vy, ju.mt h d t ollowtng t t r11rau. Th advt ed that In t n th t rp , Dire el Tolson __ enclo tng Boardman _ Nichols __ ec f.vtng Belmon1 __ agatn ro t Harbo __ Mohr __ June • 1954. ton Parsons __ Rosen __ Tamm __ co - l - Records Administration Branch (0-6a routing slip) Sizoo __ Ylin1errowd _ Attention: M"!~8ft,.._.!m'll!ftf"'tty Dtvtsion (Same date) Tele. Room _ Holloman _ Gandy __ EHM:sJr:elk 1 he n and had ha • c up a ivin nf ye l i and all conu r • During outer ob.., • " I I ... owl ote tot Director of a al· Intelltge ce co tained tn/o tion that . n ws recetving es ages through t ought control fro o t r rpac " and ote the do as he r ceived the. l tt r, acco ding to Hut o, stated that . ld writ without any effort on er at and ou.ld tt conttnuo ly I ;tour or five hour, a ti ·ithout getting tlr d. tated that t Of.t'ice , adut ed tha durt g th4 tt e that he a ho e guest of tral o iJ.es, 't re uu also pres11nt ilber B. ith, a R y icist if the Ca dia. Go1Je o also tntBre ted in flying auc But n tat d that ith at oles ' r sidence his fatly and was there in an unofficl 1 capacity. Hut on aduts d that durtng hts l'inrerrowd _ Tele . Room _ Rollo.man _ Gandy __ Tolson __ tated that Swan tnfo ed that Boardman _ Nichols _ _ h ne1J o have contact tth th p ople in • ut r Belmont _ _ rpac , • s d et a buzzing so d tn her left ar to ffarbo __ Mohr __ tndtcc.te that tltey ~ n th line.• Hut tatBd that Pa,sons __ Rosen __ Tamm __ Sizoo _ _ - 2 ­ f aval Inte.ll tgence Jltld l11. i t s, tr n is to or es ag that ha.cl. t on stated that h6 intere t dint e nd at the .Kho les, he nt ta out July 241 25, 26, 19$4, in the Hutson tat that had received no re ~o fro tter, began reading boo and ith had varlou interui Ith co tact with the the int !J)ac , • s. it tn •out that p e to e recorded by t as n x tna.t to the p relay t ht gu tton c nd hear. a cha people t on, on paper. • r e• throug t g " and the hey hat g to c • c ordtng o de in •ou a gue o ace" an tJgan rlt ng ick, re t tnas the Go o cerntng t o fl auc r. Hut n os ston th bee recetv d y • Swan. o/fi.ctally" beca invitation of A tral tn, er h~ ~ nt ence o;f A f al o e • c rel e tated ch to l ay ore d t to t do to . . ... s. n co laln d to ople tn •outer !l)ac " that this buzztng ound gt o t g and pa to er ear. She also tat d that the ge had been c t c y 27, 1954, ld c tall tie o d co equently lo i great deal oj' rdtng to utson, a. arranged a hed t in •out r space" t t s g u e Ith her le P• an ad c ged bet en a eopl e tn "ou a • ay oft uld receive g o the follo Ing du.le: 8:00 t orning, 12 noon, 6:00 in th eu n v ry k. ut tat d and ound r , tran o o tran f to ted t they ere here, l if on hereajt r, a rophe i that • ould co y e tal thought control. that ughter, e ban , 1 o h a 'd t n able to locatto on g at r o c ro r cetvlng ge . ey b d l 200 tle ln length, and 100 i n ted that th I th lo contat y l Oto 200 Je d had I th i , 000 o-;t the o e tp • t a" ls the 1/D.nager or the Co nder of the htch planet nar• ts er or r of the whtch t fro t IIa tann related tated that • con.ta ".Alta a tor t purpose o prate o art ruction caused b th zploston ato bob, o nd of varto i ey, •A;t.ta a ay the ttc field of force tch h t1. ut tated • n lo t cont d the p prot cttn ve if the •tault rea or go t ou1 !::~" - the tire i ccordtng t tso ted• Nichols -- •Atta,, and •Po a pr entl y area h 01 ~: -- ct;fic Ge an ing 'fault lt in danger Mob• -- of breaking. Parsons __ Rosen __ Tamm __ S.izoo __ Wio1crrowd _ Tele. Room _ Holloman _ Gandy __ t e .. Hut on stated that both h l ooktng for pr.oaf and t o could contact t an a tson, d t tth in •o space" o y f tded fi frequency re t co d t lei ace tha.t inc n tt con ac ,n oute ul u no co t as he did n a d go. He a ,o ver, tha try to c tact iot th •oute LJUl'I.Tin. 19~, and gotng to ea hi t to su that contac t t e B ~ ~tr~c ~ Ott (lanada, o difftcu:lt i ng ht contact. t ta t t t to t h l In er a th .P opl • •oute p ovlde t ot c to be mad , oul a.ppe of 5, o_oo " or "f1 ytng a n, thes •b l o ying auc nat on o du ing t a d would enough to b sen b hat thy 1 see peopl ree • being of ho wtt has no Ht1 con a 0/ftc Tol.son __ B~dman_ to G- 2 N,cbols __ , Belmont _ _ :;0~~~= taken Parsons __ Rosen __ Tamm __ Sizoo __ l'in1errowd _ Tele. Room _ - 4 - Holloman _ Gandy __ d c n as 1 • a V t e that. ore id re v rel , tudent o and other t o a ove data cial Inveattg ng , for any inuesttgatlon de r , I l)e'l'lart ent o/ and the r Int 11 igenc J United Sta O u In thi tt;er by rit bet g __ _ __ _ Mohr Sizoo a • cc - 1 - Director of aval Int 11 lgenc!I Depar t nt o.f_ the o.vy 1.'lu Pe tagon ashtngton 25, D. r:. cc • 1 - tstant Chief of taff, G- 2 IJe. ar t ent of th 1J The Pentagon Wa h t ngton 25, D. C. Tolson __ Boudmao _ Nichols __ Belmoot-­ Harbo __ Parsons __ Rosen-­ Tamm __ 'l'inte,rowd _ Tele, Room _ Holloman __ Gandy __ -- .. ✓ ,... ­ August 12. 1954 fJtR At A-IL. Mr . Roger L. Jon~s 1414 La.k Dr'(; ve Zanssville, Ohio ear r . Jones· Tour letter o/ August 7, 1954, wit~ Bnclo ure, ha been receiued. I would ltke to a vise you that the article you menttone ·s entir ly tn­ aorr ct ith reference to the F. I, and there is no information on the matter whtoh I oan give you . Sincerely yours, lr •. Edgar Hoover. NOTE: This article was previously brought to our attention, and the field advised the maga2ine editor that the story was not true as far as the Bureau's part was concerned. The editor stated C') ­ J he regretted the error and he would publish a retraction in the next issue, which is not due for several months yet. ~ c...lo.su ,-e.. iva.1 a.. , dtr'IJII d-1 I~ s-f: a.,,,, f t:.tl e K. v e. lop t!:.J I:, e ,.,,, 1 &/Jed '"' r=­ r-epty. rolson __ Boardman __ c..r. ichols __ MLL: l"!f ­ Belmont _ _ Harbo _ _ Mohr ___ ~:~n_s--==--= r Sizoo _ _ _ Winterrowd Holloman Gandy _ C 0 X: _ Tele. Room_ __, ~ ~ i_, l:t::1v.. ~-(9.rt F U, S. O~PT. OF Jjj~1 ICE t Aue I J 8 2s PH '5, ' Ve h ' o 954 r~ I1 ve ton Su ct: Inqu about antastic rt c e 8 Sir: 9 tt r ll I fe t . s 0 ou, re ho o I _, /V1 ' , ' § .:t, n, <") c:::: - !!! - -rt 0 ~ .r:-­ V, f----i :z::- ..., ;z; r_;:. ,... 0 -C' (I) " I •n ' 'tZ '3'lt snr :!C1 • 6 -- ...... !f October 8, 1 54 ear r. agn r: Tour 1 etter po t ar'Jred Septe ber 30 1954, ith enclosures, has been received, an~ the thought pro ting your br·ng·ng the otter you entioned to the attentto o/ h1s ur au EX-130 is very uch appreciate. In the vent ou acgu :£ re j'urther ata which you believ to be o intere8t to the aI, plea3e /eel free ~o con~act he repr~sentat ve of our of/ice located at 913 ederal Butldtng, etro t 26, ichtgan. Sincerely 11ou.r , .., John Edgar Hoover Director cc - Detroit, with copy o/ i ATI'ENTION SAC: The oft is not identifiable in Bufi es. Neithe re any any of the individuals who are listed as officers or speakers whose names appear on the literature forwarded by correspondent with the exception of Desmon healte and Henry Jladay. These latter two es. individuals have been broug~t to the Bureau's ParsQ1Js __ attention before as having,JDritten material or Rosen __ Tnmm _ _ lectured on the subject oJ"'t'Flying ?aucers.(62-83894­ Sizoo __ l'inrc11owd _ 343 and 344) - • /2 ·~ •Jc. • ______.~11,;I JU~CLO. ,A.'fT.h • J --- • • • THE DETRO IT FLYING SAUCER CLUB presents OT-TO of and Member of Saucers International -- who will speak on "An Analysis of L atest Saucer Evidence" (followed by audience participation from the floor) WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 22, 1954, at 7:30 P .M. The Grand Ballroom, Veteran's Memorial Building, 151 West Jefferson ,,,,,, AI.SO Laura Marxer will introduce the leaders of eight neighborhood groups who already are looki rig up ... other sightings will be reported. Our petition to President Eisenhower is ready for your signature ... extra copies are on hand. y~ (\ · \ '\ THIS IS A SCOOP! A group of "HAM" operators, started within our Club, have made what they are sure is a saucer contact. It will be reported by Don Thompson and his friends . Our club is fast becoming Detroit's most interesting factual program. In presenting Mr. Otto, we are bringing a speaker who has just returned from an eastern lecture tour, where the S-R-0 sign was out in New York ~ity, following his broadcast interview over Mutual Station WOR. His talk will be illustrated. If you have heard him, you know that as a lecturer John Otto ranks among the best. Bring your friends. Incidentally: Keep your eye out for our own Detroit Flying Saucer Club magazine arriving soon! Patent Development Engineer, Member of Chicago Rocket Society, Pioneer Space Commentator Contribution $1.00 Henry Maday, Chairman. . ' Here is the man who has coupled 2½ years of profound research with native Cosmic insight! The Detroit Flying Saucer Club announces the distinguished presence of M R. D E S M O N D L E S L I E Noted Irish journalist and author; preeminent Saucer scholar; co-author of the best seller: "Flying Saucers Have Landed" who will address our membership and friends on TUESDAY EVENING September 28th, at 8:15 P.M. with audience participation to follow. Detroit Institute of Arts--Large auditorium (Entrance on John R, near Kirby) All seats $1.00 ** Box Office open at 6:30 P.M. -------------------- ------ ----------------- -------------------- ----------------------- DETROIT FLYING SAUCER CLUB 54::;z Cas s Aven•1e - Dztroit 2 , Michigan - T Rinity 5- 7 300 - /. Hen r day, P re s ident Dolores ne, Secreta r y La er, Vic ~ P re s ident John ~ an , Tre a surer AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mr. President : Sept . 22, 1954 As citizens of Detroit and vicini ty , we request audience wi th you regar ding the coming of Space ships to this earth . Many of us have seen these objects ; so have others both i n this country and on foreign soil. To us it matters little whether these be called "UFO's " (unidentified flying objects) space ships, fireballs, flying saucers or any ot her<iflome. The point is that they are conti~u~u~1 J comi ng, and they ar~ being observed both here and abroed . It appears that our government with far gr eater facilities for observation than any indivi ­ dual i s per fectly aware of such phenomena , but has adopted a policy of silence and secrecy in r egard to them . We understand that certain individuals wit hin the Defense Department are afraid of announci ng the facts to the citizens for fear of panic. Mr . President, we feel that this pol i cy is fal se , fear -provoking and ent irel y mistaken for the f ollowi ng r easons : 1 . We believe that these phenomena are of a magnitude and importance such as to warrant the utmost openness and cooperation between government and c~tizenry. 2 . We beli eve that the present poli cy of s i lenc~ and secrecy is a reflection on t he intelligence and loyalt y of the American citizen . 3. We believe that t his policy not onlJ' encourages fear and l ack of confidence in government, but leads to exploitation by unscrupulous publi shers and oppor t unistic individuals who prey upon the natural curiosity of t he Amer i can cit i zen . 4. We do not understand by what r i ght cer tain public ser vants , uti lizing the tax­ payers' facilities for i nfor mation a~d observati on, gather f acts relative t o \ • these phenomena, and then fail t o proper ly infor m the public . 5. Other count ries have alr eady acknowledged these phenomena and have publicl y appointed governmental commissions to investigate , collect informati on and r eport to the _people . Mr . President : We, therefore, call upon you, our trusted leader , t o utilize the gr eat powers of your office to change this shameful and unamerican policy of sil ence and secr ecy . We ask that our government come forward and m~ke an honest .and forthright acknowledgment of t hese phenomena , and inform the citizens of such pertinent facts as are now available . In return,. the citizens then would "be will ing to report sighti ngs and contacts which other­ wise would remain concealed because of fear of ridi cule w· rebuff by government agencies . This cooperat ion between the government and its citizenr y would clear t he atmosphere of f ear and s uspicion, would renew confidence in our public officials , and pave the way to a better unders tanding and evaluation of these great phenomena . Such a clear acknowledgment ,emenating from the head of our nation might divert mankind 's attention from t he spectre of impending atomic .war. It could lift the consciousness of everyone on this earth to a Cosmic level where a coi'.:1plete new set of Spiritual, s ci entific and social values would be within the r each of all . DETROIT FLYING SAUCER CLUB Name Address Name Address --------------- ----- -------------------.----­ Name Address ------,---------------- ----------------------­ Name Address Name Address ---------,,------------ ------------------------,­ Name Addr ess -------.......----- ------- --~--------------.----~----.---.-­ SYAN~ FORM NO. 64 • - !I . • • ·Office··Memorandum · . ,. uN1TEn sTATEs GovERNMENT TO Director:, FBI DATB1 11/2/54 SAC, Cincinnati (100-new) ~ /11 i;_ i <_-~- 1 SUBJECT: C IVILIAN , RESEARCH, INTERPLANETARY FLYING OBJECTS LEONARD H. 'TRINGFIELD, Director, 7017 Britton Avenue Cincinnati 27 , Ohio INFORMATION CONCERNING Remylets to the Bureau dated o/8/54 and 7/22/54 captioned, TRID!AN BETHURUM, FLYING DISCS, MISCELLANEOUS ­ INFOHMATION CONCERNING (ESPIONAGE), Buf'ile b~- 83894. Attached for the Bureau' s information is the 10/ 1/54 11Newsletter 11 of the Civilian esearch, Interp.Lanetary Flying Objects, designated Vol . I No . 7, which has the address P. o. Box 55 (Cincinnati, Ohio), and which identifies LEONARD H. ST ,INGPIEI•P :, 70l.7 Britton Avenue, Cincinnati 27 , Ohio , as e director of the organization. On the first page of th1s "Newsletter" STRINGFIELD reportis that he had a priv talk with Lt . Colonel JOIDT 0 1MARA:, Deputy Commander, Intelligence, U. s . Air Force :, on 9/21/54 and that in essence Colonel 0 1MARA had told STRINGFIJ:tLD that flying saucers do exist and that past contradictions were unfortun There is also enclosed a newspaper clipp ng from the Cincinnati Times Star dated 9/21:3/54, entitled,...)'Saucers" No M th, Says Research~ This article refers to the "Newslett enclosed ana also reports on the interview of STRINGFil!:LD with Lt . Colonel JOHN 0 1 MARA, Deputy Commander, Air Force Intelligence , Wright Field. In addition, there is enclosed a second clipping, this bei from the Cincinnati Post of October 11, 1954, entitled:, See 1Em?---Saucers Cover City. This article reflects that several persons in Cincinnati had cited flying saucers and had reported them to LEONARD H. STRIIGFIELD. RCD :BL Encls . (3) Registered Ma11 COPIES DESTRO' •.D NOV 19 1 64 11 • r .. e CI. 100-new (CIVILIAN RESEARCH, INTERPLANETARY FLYING OBJECTS) The "Newsletter" and the two newspaper clippings were forwarded to this office by JAC UNDERMAN, 3914 Teleford Avenue, Cincinnati 20, Ohio, under date of 10/20/54. Mr. GUNDERMAN advised that he is employed as a layout artist by the Du.Bois Company, Inc., 1120 West Front Street, Cincinnati 3, Ohio, and that he began work there on 8/19/ 54. He advised that the advertising manager of this company is LEONARD H. STRINGFIELD who is intensely interested in flying saucers and has created the Civilian Research, Interplanetary Flying Objects organization. He advised that STRINGFIELD is director of this organization and is assisted by his wife, that he writes and publishes monthly the multi-lithographed 11Newsletter," and that he claims that the publication now has a world-wide circulation of about 4 ,000 copies at a subscription price of $2.00 per year. GUNDERMAN further adv sed that STRINGFIELD regularly communicates with FRANK1 DWARDS, former A. F. of L. radio news commentator, on the subject of saucers and that, according to STRINGFIELD, EIMARDS is also intensely interested in saucers. EWARDS recently warned STRINGFI.h:LD to be very careful or the Air Force would stop STRINGFIELD's publishing activities. GUNDERMAN also related that STRINGFIELD main­ tains that the Air Force was responsible for EDWARDS being fired as the A. F. of L. radio news commentator because EDWARDS used his program to publicize his (EDWARDS) saucer interest. GUNDERMAN related that STRINGFI~LD states in the "Newsletter", and also personally, that the u. S. Air Force maintains a strict censorship of news pertaining to saucers, that the Air Force has several thousand saucer scientists t~rking on a research project, and that any military personnel working on the project are subject to immediate court-martial if they reveal any facts about it. STRINGFIELD has also stated to GUNDERMAN that he be­ lieves his home telephone is being monitored, presumably by the Air Force , and that he makes phone calls to Wright­ Patterson Air Force Intelligence Officer JOHN 0 1 MARA and to - 2 ­ • CI . 100-new (CIVILIAN RESEARCH, INTERPLANETARY FLYING OBJECTS) FRANK EDWARDS from his office at the DuBois Company. GUNDERMAN continued that he believes STRINGFIELD is now afraid to proceed too much for fear the Air Force will in some way stop his operations and that EDWARDS ' warning to STRINGFIELD was after the issuing of the October 1, 1954, 11Newsletter 11 which contained the article about STRINGFIELD' s interview with Colonel 0 1MARA. At the same time, GUNDERMAN reported that STRINGFIELD, in talking about the possibility that the Air Force might stop his operations, made a state­ ment to the effect that, "The Air Force can't do anything to me . I'm claiming saucers are interplanetary." GUNDERMAN continued in his letter that another point which may or may not be of interest is the fact that the DuBois Company copywriter, HERBERT E ·r-CLARK, 4974 Stratbmore Drive , Cincinnati , is a close friend 6f STRINGFIELD and is interested in STRINGFIM.D 1 s organization. Ha identified CLARK as about 25 years of age and a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University where CLARK c aims to have been a member of an inter-racial social college fraternity. GUNDERMAN said he noticed that CLARK often brings up such subjects as the falseness of religion, that atomic and hydrogen bombs may be the cause of bad weather, and that colored people shouldn 1 t be discriminated against. At the same time CLARK is active in the Methodist Church and in the Cincinnati Civil Defense organization. GUNDERMAN advised that he was furnishing the foregoing information because he thought that possibly the real purpose of the Civilian Research, Interplanetary Flying Objects organization might be to gather bits of information about a very secret u. s. Air Force Development Project. My letter of 6/8/54 in referenced matter concerning TRUMAN BETHURUM on pages 4 and 5 contains information re­ garding STRINGFIELD 1 s interest in BETHURUM and that the indices of this office at that time contained no information - 3 ­ • CI . 100-new (CIVILIAN RESEARCH, INTERPLANETARY FLYING OBJECTS) regarding STRINGFIELD. This letter also contains informa­ tion concerning a contact by THOMAS EICKHOFF ~ith Lt . Colonel JOHN O'MARA, Wright- Patterson Air Force Base, on 6/6/54 relative to BETHURUM 1 s story regarding flying saucers. The foregoing is for the Bureau's in:formation and this office is advising OSI , Wright-~atterson Air Force Base of the substance of the information in this letter and that no further action is being taken. It is noted that JACK GUNDERMAN requested in his letter that his identity be kept confidential. The files of this office reflect that JACK SPAIN - GUNDERMAN voluntarily appeared at th1s office in December, 1951, and furnished a piece of literature wh1ch he had found at the University of Cincinnati. At that time he had no information as to subversive activities and no further contact was made with him. The files of this office contain only one reference to HERBERT E. CLARK. This reflects that he is HERBERT E. CLARK, Jr . , and that in August, 1954, as program chairman of the Pleasant Ridge Methodist Church Marri-eds class , he requested a speaker for 11/13/54. On 9/13/54 he was advised that SA MARK M. McSHURLEY would speak to the above mentioned class on the topic of General Activities of the FBl . - 4 ­ ';\ - - J :C.R.I.F.O. DEWSLETTER e October 1, 1954 Civilian Research, Interplanetary Flying Objects Vol. I No. 7 Leo11tll'd H . Strl111j,ll DirKtor 10ll Britt.. A••· Ciul•a.ti Zl. OAio Reply to above address or P.O. Box 1855 Copyright 1954 by Len H. Stringfield EXCLUSIVE: PRIVATE TALK WITH LT. COLONEL JOHN 0 1MARA, DEPUTY COMMANDER, INTELLIGENCE,CONFIRMS THE EXISTENCE OF "FLYING SAUCERS" -- TRUTH MAY BE BARED SOON AS 11 TECHNICAL DATA" REACHES THE AIR FORCE. AIR FORCE PLANS COOPERATION WITH PUBLIC. The greatest story involving Earth and Space may soon be told. The "silence" group -- that official fear-faction of the Air force -- who for years fought to keep the truth from the public has now lost its anaconda-hold on accumulative evidence. Stimulated by recent events, the triumphant fearless-faction of the Air Force will take the benighted public in-1:o confidence. As Col. 0 1Mara btti­ mated: we want to cooperate and dispense with the misconception that "flying saucers" do not exist. Here is the essence of Col. 0 1Mara' s statements, 9/21/54: Flying saucers "do exist" the Colonel told me, and he added, in effect, past con­ tradictions were unfortunate. At this point I asked the Colonel if there were two breakdowns of saucers ... the interplanetary device and the secret American mis­ sile. I was first corrected on the term "missile", then the Colonel said he believed there were "three breakdowns" -- the third, "natural phenomena. 11 By such an admission, we therefore have these three breakdowns ... l) the controlled •·saucer" from outer space... 2) a secret American saucer-like device and 3) unexplained natural phenomena. When I tried for a committal statement on the interplanetary "saucer" I was, as expected.rebuffed, but was told that in their research they were "gradually getting more data. 11 Then for corroboration, I asked if all the saucers seen by Americans were American devices and to this the Colonel replied: 11 Definitely not! Something does exist, " he said, which, of course, is diametric to all A. F. statements follow­ ing Major Keyhoe's book. In this respect, the Colonel intimated that the A. F. plans to cooperate with the public ... and a statement will be forthcoming from the De­ fense Dept. which will explain some of the past contradictions and release the de­ tails behind many of the sightings. When I asked, again, about the 700 sightings a week, he told me that this would be covered in the A. F. release. Col. O'Mara and I discussed many sensative issues. Although he spoke guardedly, the Colonel was wonderfully cooperative, and I could well ap:,:reciate his position in relation to official security. When, for instance, I asked about the Earth Satel­ lites, and the theory indicating they were "rocks" ( see page 3) he replied that he has not received word they were "rocks. 11 He said the scientist in White Sands "are still working very hard and have lots of things to work on. 1 1 When.I asked about the silent Mars Committee he explained that the astronomers have not issued a report because 11they are in disagreement" as to what they found. In my 26 minute talk with the Colonel we also discussed saucer hostility, mysteri.: ous plane crashes, the Atlantic problem, and, whether or not the CRIFO News­ letter was slanted in the right direction. Re: the latter, the Colonel said, in effect, that it ( the Newsletter) was in the right direction ... Editor's Note: Our Newsletter, due to abov~ information, was revamped the last minute. What was the first page is now the second,, et al. -2­ SAUCERS HARASS EARTH; FEAR OF WORLD PANIC FORCES INTERNATIONAL CENSORSHIP: Behind the Mask of Comedy is tragedy - - the tragedy of censor­ ship; on stage is the "Flying Saucer" whose misfortune of name has held it ludi­ crously before the public eye since Ken Arnold announced "nine saucer-like things" flying near Mt. Ranier in 1947. "Saucers" in their true dimension are less ludicrous to world governments. Working in cooperative secrecy they have enforced a bowstring-tight conspir­ acy of censorship. A recent example is found in this writer's correspondence with the Chilean Naval Mission in Washington, D. C. To quote their reply of December 23, 1953: " We are pleased to acknowledge receipt of your letter ... regarding the photo­ graphs showing UFO's informational flight, which you mention were taken by Captain Orrego of the Chilean Navy near Antarctica in 1948. 'Regarding this matter we wish to inform you that recently we received a com­ munication from Capt. Orrego stating that he had not seen any UFO's over the Antarctica in 1948,therefore, the photographs requested by you do not exist.... 11 (Signed) Harold Nagel, Captain Chief of the Chilean Naval Mission. Going back into old files I find that Capt. Augusto Orrego said:"During the bright antarctic night we saw flying saucers, one above the other, turning at tremen­ dous speeds. We have photographs to prove what we saw. 11 And now, the proof of Chilean contradiction, thus international censorship. Here I refer to Major Keyhoe I s recent book. He says: "Later, when I requested copies ·from the Chilean Embassy in Washington I was told that the pictures ( Captain Orrego 1s) were classified. 11 Editor: For the pictures to be classified they first had to exist. Why, d~ring December, did they fail to exist? Does this tie in with the U.S. Air Force's sudden security ruling, which I learned by letter from ATIC, Wright-Patterson AFB, dated De·c. 17, 1953. They said, in part: "In reference to your letter, the A TIC has been directed to make all information on Project Blue Book available to the Dept. of Defense for release from that point only .... 11 What happened in those yestermonth skies ? Why do our Air Force and Central Intelligence bend over backwards to circumvent the truth about flying saucers? Why do foreign governments self-contradict themselves? Are they hiding super­ saucer missiles of their own ... or, are they all just being cooperative to con­ •ceal some great American weapon? Hardly! . The answer is in the skies today ... right this minute! Fresh reports come to my desk daily. They come from competent and honest people. While these reports are being written other vehicles are crossing the barriers of space and time to "violate" earth's international boundaries ... to harass the paths of air­ lines, and with increasing frequency, to come closer to terra firma. Here, they hover over roof tops, 11buzz 11 automobiles and peer into house windows. Some cause destruction, even death. Are these the behind-the-scenes reasons for censorship? ------------------ -3­ THE EARTH SATELLITE ENIGMA -- ARE THEY MOSCOW'S ... METEORIC OR MARTIAN? Statements conflict, as usual. I first reported these two mys­ terious earth satellites in my April Newsletter ... then again, following Lt. Col. O'Mara's admission to me, June 8, that a govt. project was tracking the objects but that the evidence was conflicting. I heard nothing more until Aug. 3 when Edward W. Hermann, special agent for McGraw-Hill Publications, told me Dave Anderton, Engineering Editor of Aviation Week, had received a report from Dr. Lincoln La Paz regarding the satellites, and, that it would 11 appear in detail in a coming issue. 11 In that a correspondent friend, Ted Bloecher of New York, tells me he tried dozens of newstands for the magazine, but to no avail ( indicating a sudden scarcity) I will quote the August 2·3, 1954 issue of Aviation Week: "Pentagon scare over the observanc~ of two previously unobserved satellites orbiting the earth had dissipated with the identification of the objects as na­ tural, not artifi.cial sat ellites. Dr. Lincoln La Paz ... headed the identification project. One satellite is orbiting about 400 miles out while the other track is 600 miles from the earth. Pentagon thought the Russians had beaten the U.S. to space operations. " Now, the rest of the story, thanks to Ted Bloecher. Says Ted: 11Being of a nature that is naturally suspicious of anything printed, I wrote Dr. La Paz and requested that he verify this release. I received an answer yesterday. ( Sept. 8). In his letter, Dr. La Paz regrets 'that Aviation Week 1s misleading satellite story has received such widespread and uncritical publicity.' Enclosed also was the letter he (La Paz) had written to A. P. Strangely enough , the papers were content with carrying the false report, for I've seen no mention of Dr. :;:_,a Paz's correction on this report. 11 Following is copy of letter, in part, by Dr. LaPaz,totheAssociated Press: "Scientifically and militarily, the search for nearby satellites of the earth is one of the most important on which mankind has ever embarked. It is there­ fore unfortunate, although not surprising, that false rumors are bound to be circulated in regard to the nature and results of this search. 11As regards the Aviation Week story on the satellite search, summarized in the A. P. release shown me, it is false in every partic~lar insofar as reference to me is concerned.... No one representing Aviation Week has questioned qi~ concerning any possible connection I may have with .the satellite search program, and no one whatever has been authorized to credit me with the activities attrib­ uted to me in the Aviation Week story. 11 (Signed) Lincoln La Paz Director Institute of Meteoritics Your letters and clippings are greatly appreciated; each is carefully read and filed. Since the April Newsletter, more than 8000 letters have crossed my desk -- a tremendous load for just two people. My wife, Dell, handles all ad­ ministrative details, subscriptions, mailing, etc. , while I direct the research and prepare the Newsletter. We are both grateful for your kind letters and your enduring patience. KEEP THE MAIL COMING, but we 1re afraid to commit our­ selves on a reply. The Newsletter is published first Friday of the month. Sub­ scription $2. 00 a year, starting with June 1954 issue . Six month subscriptions starting in April terminate with Oct. issue. Mark RENEWAL clearly with remit­ tance. Back copies of April, May, June issues available at Z5<: each. Foreign subscriptions {except Canada) are $2. 60 regular first class mail. Air Mail add 50f extra per issue cf Uewsletter. -4­ LOGAN, UTAH JOLTED BY VIOLENT EXPLOSION AND GAPING CR.ATER FOLLOWING MYSTERIOUS "STREAK OF LIGHT" IN SKY: First gues s -- a meteorite, but as the evidence was assembled by foremost authorities, the theory dissipated. Here's the story, thanks to the help of Mrs. John German of Woodscross, Utah who probed the Salt Lake Tribune files for the early facts - - before SILENCE! On May 7, 1954 the Tribune reported: "A 1conventional meteorite fall' did not produce the crater found west of here Sunday, and probing operatipns at the scene have been discontinued, geologists said. In a 73-word statement, 3 sci­ entists gave reasons why they ended their investigation, but it contained no opinion on who or what made the hole, or how it was made. "The statement, signed by J. Stewart Williams, professor of geology, Utah State Agricultural College, Lincoln La Paz.., director. Institute of Meteoritics, Uni­ versity of New Mexico and Clyde T. Hardy, USAC geology professor read: 1In the region extending from Clarkston south to Paradise, exhaustive interro­ gation of numerous persons who saw or heard the explosive phenomenon at midnight on May 1 has been carried out. The testimony thus obtained and material evidence recovered as a result of subsurface investigations at the site of the explosion west of Logan have disclosed that the crater was not produced by a conventional meteorite fall. For these reasons, operations have been discontinued! 11 And from the Tribune, May 5: 11Dr. Lincoln La Paz spent his firc;t full day here, working with Dr. J. Stewart Williams and Dr. Clyde T. Hardy. On his arrival here Monday night, Dr. La Paz said the hole must have been made by a 'whopper I if it contains a meteorite . They decided to place a frame around the crater and cover it with wire mesh. Workers will stand on movable planks and probe with a pipe. In this way they will know they have probed every place possible under the mesh. 11 'My recommendation is that we excavate until we find what made the hole,' said Dr. La Paz, who is credited -with recovering the world's largest aerolite, weighing more than one ton. 11 The incident occurred on May 1 bringing "500 phone calls" to the Logan City Police Dept. Residents reported their houses "shaken" and TV viewers said their reception was disturbed. A check made later with Hill Air Force Base and Salt Lake City indicated no planes in the area for several hours. A war veteran described the 16 ft. wide and 6 ft. deep hole as looking like a 11bomb crater. 11 Sod was found scattered in all directions for more than 100 yards. On Aug. 31, 154, I wrote Dr. Clyde T.Hardy,geologist who worked on the pro­ ject, asking if any substantial evidence as to its (the explosion's) source had been uncovered. Following is Dr. Hardy's reply of Sept. 11, 1954: 11 Reference is made to your letter of Aug. 31 re. the explosion and crater west of Logan. Although a fireball was reported by several people previous to the ground explosion, I am personally convinced that they were confused. One es­ pecially competent observer describes a ground flash only and he was favorably situated to see all aspects of the occurrence . " (Signed) Clyde T. Hardy Assoc. Prof. , Dept. Geology (Ref. File: Case 20) -5­ JET 11EXPLODES 11 CHASING UFO NEAR UTICA, N . Y.: The gamy but s aucer­ phobic press tried pitting wits with its readership. They handed the unsus ­ pecting reader a front page story without the facts, then ( see July 3 New York Times) presented the facts in a separate story buried in the back pages. Reason: They fea r ed public reaction to saucer tragedy, viz: Capt. Mantell. But, wits didn 1t pit right with Ted Bloecher and others such as Lester S. Parker of Topeka, Kansas. They correlated the loose ends: Let's review one 11 end 11 -- the front page story: A jet fighter returning from a 11 scramble 11 to investigate an ' 1unidentified aircraft 1' , plunged into tiny Walesville eleven miles southwest of Utica, about 12:30 P.M., July 2, 1954. The plane crashed into an auto and two buildings killing four persons. The Air Force in Washington announced the F-94-C Starfire had been s ent up on "an active a i r d efens e inter cept rnis sio:r:.. " Accordin g t o t he 'C . P . release of July 3, "Air• Force spokesmen said the cockpit of the plane ... became un­ bearably hot during the flight and that the pilot ordered his radar observer to bail out ... then bailed out himself at 7000 ft. " According to the A. P. release in New York Times July 3, " The air base (Griffis AFB) said, 'that fuel in the burning plane apparently had exploded when the jet crashed.' They said it had not been determined whether an explosion occurred while the jet was in the air." " Later, ' 1 according to A. P., "an AF spokesman in Washington said the inter­ cepted plane was one that had failed to file a flight plan with C. A. A. or, one that drifted off its announced flight path. 11 The U. P. and A. P. stories of disaster were essentially true, but because of the ' 1disaster 11 angle they designated the pursued object as a " plane" rather than a UFO. Ted Bloecher, who did some checking, told me that his friend, Ed Wilkenson, listened to a broadcast which described the incident, thus: " The jet had successfully contacted the UFO but still could not iden~ify it. 11 But Ted Bloecher's real find was in the small item buried in the New York Times' (July 3) back pages. It reads: 11\. silvery, balloon-like object floating high over the Utica area sent residents rushing to their telephones to make inquiries of newspapers, police and radio stations. 11 The Utica Press estimated that more than 1000 calls about the object jammed its switchboard between 6 and 10:00 P.M. It was reported sighted by residents in a twenty-five mile radius extending from Rome on the west to Frankfort, east of Utica. 11 Col. Milton F. Summerfelt commandant of the Air Force Depot at Rome said the object appeared to be a plastic balloon about 40 ft. long and partially deflated. He theorized that it was making a gradual descent and said that if it still were in the area tomorrow morning a plane would be sent to investigate. 11 A Mohawk Airlines pilot estimated the altitude of the object at about 20, 000 ft. He said