Looking For Information on USAF Detachment 10

Greetings all

I have been doing a great deal of research on Detachment 10. This detachment was part of various USAF units assigned to Investigate UFOs or UFOBs. I had a brief communication with a former member of the 1006th ASIS who advised that he knew about the unit but was not a member. According to this source the unit often wore plain clothes, and may have been trained by the FBI. I have read some reports by members of the unit and it's clear they were very well trained. I am a retired Homicide Detective and have an eye for concise well written reports. I was also advised that the team often traveled in unmarked white aircraft, starting with the military version of the 707 and upgrading since then. I have witness verification that the described aircraft were seen at a number of major UFO investigations, including the Bentwaters incident.

I would love to hear from a former member of this unit, or the 1006th. Any information would be appreciated.

a reply to: Florida Fox

Where did you first hear of the unit designation?

Cooooool. I want in.

This has the makings for a really good TV series...

I'd watch it!

If it were truly investigation then you should change your search from Det. to FIS and start following the breadcrumbs back in time to when designations started to change. I know 10 FIS was out of Youngstown, OH at one point. Good luck OP. It is very hard if not impossible to find anything these days.

originally posted by: Florida Fox
Greetings all

I have witness verification that the described aircraft were seen at a number of major UFO investigations, including the Bentwaters incident.

The '56 Bentwaters incident? Now that would definitely peak my interest.

All I know about the 1006 is that in mid-1957 the 4602nd's involvement was basically disbanded and the 1006th AISS assumed the role of investigations. Eventually, the 1006th had it's funding reduced and, as a result, their involvement was curtailed.

David Jacobs wrote a couple of comments about the 1006th in his book "The UFO Controversy in America."

The Air Force revised AFR 200-2 in February 1958 to formalize the new procedures. Also, the revised regulations recreated the system of air base commanders conducting ini­tial investigations of all UFO sightings in their areas and con­tinued ATIC's formal UFO responsibility for analysis and evaluation. If ATIC believed more extensive study was required, revised AFR 200-2 stated, it should submit a request to have 1006th personnel conduct the investigation. (page 133)
...

The change to the 1006th encountered problems immedi­ately. Within a few months of the transfer, the Air Force reduced the funds for the 1006th, making curtailment of its investigating functions necessary. The Air Force limited the 1006th's duties to conducting investigations only upon request of the ATIC commander or the director of intelligence in Washington, D.C. The 1006th remained with the UFO pro­gram until its reassignment in July 1959, at which time the Air Force used the 1127th Field Activities Group stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. This group made few investigations.

I know of a couple of Blue Book cases that mention Detachment 10. The 1957 Tonopah incident comes to mind.

www.scribd.com...

a reply to: Florida Fox

Florida Fox, interesting stuff and unfortunately never come across Department 10 before but will certainly keep an eye out in the future - it does mention in the 1959 Bluebook document below that 'the total number of the 1006th AISS field units, now 10, is being reduced to 6' so maybe they kept the Dept 10 team operating off the radar (also, ATS member IsaacKoi may know more about it).

See document 8-13 'Air Force Memorandum - June 21st, 1959'

PDF Documents

Also some relevant background info for the 4602d AISS / 1006th AISS here and, may be nothing, but NICAP's Francis Ridge makes some interesting observations below about them becoming the 1127th USAF Activities Group.


UFOs, the AISS, & My Brush With the 1127th


Cheers.

originally posted by: Xtraeme

I know of a couple of Blue Book cases that mention Detachment 10. The 1957 Tonopah incident comes to mind.

www.scribd.com...

Xtraeme , good find on that one bud and although in Isaac's post here about Dr Willy Smith he mentions the possibility of a hoax there was a huge number of very similar UFO reports in a localized area that month - I suppose if Department 10 were operational then they'd be extremely interested in all these seemingly identical 'strange egg-shaped object with no wings, tail, or fuselage' reports.


Kirtland Air Force Base Radar/Visual UFO - November, 1957.


Cheers.

a reply to: karl 12

Howdy Karl, November 1957 was a busy month for ATIC. =) By my count they had 349 reports. The first time I read the Joseph Long story I thought it was probably just a tall tale, but when I read the approving officers comments written by Col. John W. Meador (incidentally not sure if this is the same John W. Meador: www.trumanlibrary.org...) that put me back on the fence.

originally posted by: Xtraeme
a reply to: karl 12

Howdy Karl, November 1957 was a busy month for ATIC. =) By my count they had 349 reports.

Hi mate - that's quite a lot.

There's also some great info in Richard Dolan's book and found this statement from The Times to be a relevant one (and that was only published on the 7th).

Some of the nation's top scientists are 'pretty shook up' about the mysterious flying objects sighted in New Mexico and West Texas skies this week, said Charles Capen (a scientist at White Sands). "This is something that hasn't happened before."

November 1957 - A Rash Of American Sightings

originally posted by: Xtraeme

The first time I read the Joseph Long story I thought it was probably just a tall tale, but when I read the approving officers comments written by Col. John W. Meador (incidentally not sure if this is the same John W. Meador: www.trumanlibrary.org...) that put me back on the fence.

Good call and fair point there - I can't download it at the mo but I remember reading the chapter on the case in Dr Willy Smith's book "On Pilots and UFOs” where he was pretty skeptical (to say the least) about the official USAF conclusion -it also mentions notorious cynic Captain George Gregory was in charge of Bluebook back then and I certainly wouldn't put it past him to purposefully discredit the report -just look at how his team tried to dismiss the Levelland, White Sands, Sebago and Stokes cases in the same month.

NB - there's also a nice bit in Chapter 5 that's worth a re-read describing how the Bluebook team went back and substituted official summary cards for unexplained Bluebook cases 'to reduce the number of unknowns at any cost'.

On topic and there's a really interesting 1957 witness report below which could be relevant involving a 'brass colored disc' hovering over Lake Eerie - apparently it was then chased by two F-86 fighters but Niagara Falls Air Force base denied any radar contact or aircraft scramble - thing is in 1979 researchers then found government documents confirming the event and the object was clocked at 50,000 feet traveling at 2300mph.

1957 UFO – A BRASS COLORED DISC OVER LAKE ERIE


In September 1998, some UFO researchers found a CIA memorandum located in a 1979 microfiche set of Declassified Documents. This document is particularly interesting because it points out the follow about the sighting.

• It mentions interest in UFOs at a very high level of the intelligence community, the Intelligence Advisory Committee (IAC)

• It mentions what is possibly electromagnetic interference with multiple radars coincident with detection of a UFO

• It mentions action by elements of the military and intelligence communities very quickly after a UFO report.

What Steven and the general public did not know about the September 20th was the following.

Components of the US Air Defense command tracked on US radars the UFO in question. It was tracked on a straight course from the eastern tip of Long Island to the vicinity of Buffalo, NY. The UFO was reported to have been tracked at an altitude of 50,000 feet traveling at 2000 kts. (2300mph).

The report goes on to say that multiple US radar stations tracking the UFO were jammed and that there were brief gaps in the tracking. The report goes to great lengths to discount any possibility that this was any kind of technology from the Soviet Union at the time.

“We conclude, therefore, that it is highly improbable that a Soviet operation is responsible for the UFO reports of 20 September.”

Link

Cheers.