I think these sightings have something to do with the "Silver Bug" project. In this project the US tried to create a flying saucer that could take
off and land vertically. Here are some drawings
This project was declassified on March the 29th in 1995 you can read the technical report (15 February 1955) and watch the original (bigger sized)
drawings of it here:
www.cufon.org...
There is also an interesting atricle (Popular Mechanics) that connects this article to the 1947 Roswell crash incident, click the link below to read
it:
www.popularmechanics.com...