FOIA: Investigation of Los Alamos & Kirtland Sightings 06JAN49

NM_JAN_6_1949.pdf
06Jan49 Investigation File Los Alamos, NM & Kirtland AFB, NM Incidents 242, 244
Record and some analysis of 2 sightings on 06Jan49 of objects which were classified as "Non-Astronomical with No Explanation Evident"
Document date: 1949-01-06
Department: Unknown
Author: Various
Document type: Record
pages: 30


Archivist's Notes: Most of the file is legible, it consists of the investigation of sighting 242, Los Alamos, of a green object,and the apparent linking to incident 223, and a report of sounds heard at Los Alamos around the same timeframe. Also discussed was sighting 244, Kirtland, bright white diamond shaped object which was appeared to be linking with 243, which includes a letter which mentions the Chiles and Whitted sighting. This file shows the investigators trying to draw parallels to sightings in an attempt to identify what the objects were. A report signed by Rees is illegible. I could not recognize any conclusions being drawn from these investigations.

I just started to put the handwritten pages 10,11 and 12 into legible form:

(Handwritten pg1)

Technical Intelligence Dir. July 12, 1949
Air Material Com. Hdqtrs
Dayton, Ohio.

Gentlemen,
At the risk of being ridiculed, I have finally decided to inform you of
that which my sister and I saw about 8pm July 24, 1948.
First let me say that I am a school teacher in this, my home town where
I have lived most of my fifty-nine years. Practically everyone in Rayne knows
Me and my sister, Catharine Hunter, retired teacher. I refer you to Missrs Paul Themeaur (?), and Paul Breant (?) of Rayne State Bank.

Although my sister’s vision is very poor now, it was not so bad at the time of which I write. That evening she and I were seated on our East porch from which we often watch the airplanes traveling East or West.

(Handwritten pg2)

There are two parallel routes, the most northerly being a little north of our house.
It was on this northerly route that we heard and saw coming swiftly from the East, a large cubicle, box-like thing without wings. We had a good view of its two rows of windows, four above and four beneath, lit by a deep red glow.
Of course, we saw only the south side of the object. I ran through the house to a door opening on the west, and saw it disappear in the distance as it continued its westerly course. There was a flare or tail of light streaming out behind it.

A peculiar thing was that the irregularity of form and windows, i.e. no right ( ? )
But outlined as a child might draw them. We did not observe its nose construction. I cannot say whether it was very close to the ground or of immense size, but I do know that the size of a single window appeared larger than the planes that cross high above by night.

It seemed to run more smoothly than an airplane, practically purred.

(handwritten pg3)

On the following morning we heard over the radio about the experience of Pilots Chiles and Whitted. Their description tallied with ours with one exception. They saw the windows lit by a “white light”, whereas we saw them red.

I read Sidney Shalitt’s article about “Flying Saucers” in Saturday Evening Post of May 7, 1949.

My reason for writing you is because this flying object was not coming southwest of Montgomery Alabama at 2.45am and passed over Rayne, Louisiana at approximately 8pm of the same day. Discounting the fact that there might have been two of them, where was it during that intervening course. Might it not have a hide out somewhere along the route and travel only at night?

Sincerely yours,

Document 1: A military Incident Summary.
Conclusion was made that it was a Astro(Meteor).
Incident appears to be dated 6th Jan 1949 and seen by civilian employee at 0310 hours. (document poor quality/difficult to read)

Document 2: Military Incident Summary.
Conclusion was made that it was a Astro(Meteor).
Incident appears to be dated 6th Jan 1949 and seen by an airman at 1730 hours.
Description: seen from the ground, bright white object traveling faster than a jet between 1500-2000ft. (document poor quality/difficult to read)

Document 3: Incident no. 242 Los Alamos New Mexico 6th Jan 1949.
According to description of one observer: a brilliant green incandescent light was seen low on the horizon for two seconds.
Report suggests it could have been a slow meteor though time of night doesn’t favour the hypothesis.
Due to the fact that this incident falls into the same pattern as incident no. 223 the reporter refers us to 223 for further discussion.

to be continnued......

Document 4 and 5: Appear to be identical copies except a hand-written circle highlights incident 242 in no.4 and in no. 5 hand-written circle highlights incident 244.
Dr Hynek’s evaluations of Project Grudge titled Incident Index. Both 242 and 244 fall into Dr Hynek’s last category “Non-astronomical, with no explanation evident – Evidence offered suggests no explanation.”

Background on Dr. J Allen Hynek on Wikipedia

Josef Allen Hynek (May 1, 1910 - April 27, 1986) was a United States astronomer, professor, and ufologist.
He is perhaps best remembered for his UFO research: Hynek acted as scientific adviser to three consecutive UFO studies undertaken by the U.S. Air Force: Project Sign (1947-1949), Project Grudge (1949-1952), and Project Blue Book (1952 to 1969); for decades afterwards, he conducted his own independent UFO research.

to be continued.....

Document 6: Military Report labeled # 244 dated 6th January 1949. Time 17:30hours. Kirkland AF base. Witnessed from ground near ordnance area. Format of report is summary style. Description: one object, two ft long, diamond shaped, bright white light, 1500-2000 ft away, much faster than a jet, object appeared much brighter in center than at edges, horizontal flight for 500 ft.
This appears to match description in Document 2.

Document 7: Military Report labeled # 244 regarding incident 6th Jan 1949 at 1730 hrs. This report names the witness as PFC Meredith J. Everitt, HQ…. and says he attended flight school during 1947 and had some experience observing aircraft. Description is written in letter style and details are identical to Document 6 and appears also to match description in Document 2. Hand-written note at the bottom says “See incident 243 for details.”

Document 8: Military Report that is largely illegible. It does contain in the bottom paragraph the name PFC Everitt and the mention that he attended flight school in 1947
Therefore we presume it is again connected to incident 244.

TexDocument 9:: Completely illegible. Presumably military report (signed by a Colonel).

Document 10, 11 and 12: Hand-written witness report dated a year after the sighting.
Incident occurred July 24, 1948 and report dated July 12 1949.

I "translated" this letter in my earlier posting.
This letter reveals a very interesting sighting which could be researched further.

to be continued....

Document 13: Military report entitled ‘report of investigation – Unknown Aerial Phenomena’ dated 19th Jan 1949.

Summary of several different sightings and unusual, unexplained sounds late Dec 48 – Jan 49 reported from Albuquerque – Kirtland AF Base.
Details of these are in following documents:

Document 14, 15, 16 & 17: Letter-style report referring to different sightings between Dec 1948 and Jan 1949. See summary in Doc 13.
Sighting 1: 5th Dec 1948 at 2000 hrs university student saw a bright green object.
Sighting 2: 6th Jan 1949 at 0810 hrs by inspector Earl Willis – brilliant green object.
Sighting 3: This sighting is PFC Meredith Everitt’s incident already described in document 7. Aka #244.
Sighting 4: 30th Dec 1948 AESS inspectors at four different stations heard anomalous sounds from 2010 hrs onward.

Interesting to note…noises described as ‘aerial noise’, ‘like a CUB type aircraft orbiting directly overhead at very low altitude’and that a ‘bogey’ alarm was given.

Doc 16 is a summary of sighting 4 (sounds) plus mentions similar sounds heard 31st Dec at 0540 hrs.

Document 18: Original summary report of Earl Willis (see sighting 2 in doc 14) dated 6th Jan 1949.

Document 19: Incident is PFC Meredith Everitt’s aka #244 and Sighting 3 of doc 14.
The report is from Matthew J Doyle, Chief Physical Security Branch to Director, Intelligence & Security Division.

Document 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 This is a detailed investigative report from Lincoln LaPaz, Director Institute of Meteoritics to Lt Colonel Doyle Rees, Commanding Officer District 17, office special investigations. Dated January 6, 1949.
These documents are clearly written and interesting to read.
It is the full investigation of the anomalous sounds reported in sighting 4 of Doc 15 & 16. The outcome was inconclusive – no known object could be attributed to this noise.

More research into this would be rewarding.

LaPaz says in his last paragraph “….whether this could have been a conventional airplane or not must be decided by those who have access to experience and information not at the command of the undersigned.”

to be continued......

Document 25 & 26: Are reports labeled #242 which summarise Inspector Earl Willis’s sighting of a brilliant green object at Security Station 101 Los Alamos N.M.

Document 27: Is mostly illegible. Occasional readable words suggest that it is also a report regarding Inspector Earl Willis’s sighting.

Document 28: Military-style Summary of information made 13th Jan 1949 titled ‘unconventional aircraft’. Around New Mexico. The incident dates are: 20th Dec 1948, 28th Dec 1948, 30th Dec 1948 and 6th Jan 1949. The details are unreadable which is a shame because it may add more evidence to Earl Willis’ sighting and possibly the 6th Jan one is his.

Document 29: letter; illegible; signed Lt Col Doyle Rees. Only readable other info: dated 19th Jan 1949, 12th Dec 19..

Document 30: grey, unrecognizable ‘visual noise’ on Document possible drawing or Picture - dated 6th Jan 1949. Los Alamos, New Mexico.

The End

Originally posted by frozen_snowman
Document 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

LaPaz says in his last paragraph “….whether this could have been a conventional airplane or not must be decided by those who have access to experience and information not at the command of the undersigned.”

to be continued......

This comment is somewhat strange. It sounds as if La Paz thinks that other people, higher up the chain of command, have experience and information that would shed light on this.

There is also a story from Dalhart, Texas, not really that far away, of some boys finding a chunk of refined uranium while playing. This was sent to La Paz to study. This event is not covered in the above reports, but can be found at:

frank warren.blogspot/2006 ( I can no longer get this page to load without going through Google. But it can be found.)

This event with the uranium appears to have occurred in 1951. I don't see a connection with the UFO events listed here, but find it curious that at a time when the "bomb" was such a closely guarded affair, that refined uranium would turn up in conjunction with the name of someone connected to UFOs. I have no idea what significance, if any, this has on the UFOs listed here.

[edit on 20-11-2007 by NGC2736]