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Joint Messageform T56-20329 from Captain G. T. Gregory, ATIC, to Director of Intelligence, HQ USAF, Washington DC


FROM: COMDR ATIC DATE-TIME GROUP

051100 SEPT 56

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

SECRET

PRECEDENCE FOR: ACTION

PRIORITY

INFORMATION
TO: DI HQ USAF WASH DC [ ] BOOK MESSAGE [ ] ORIGINAL MESSAGE
[ ] MULTIPLE ADDRESS CRYPTOPRECAUTION

[ ] YES [ ] NO

 

REFERS TO MESSAGE:

IDENTIFICATION

BOI-485 & IDO 73351

CLASSIFICATION

SECRET

INFO:

COMDR 4602d AISS ENT AFB
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO

CINCUSAFE
WEISBADEN, GERMANY

// [deleted]// FROM: AFOIN 4E4

PASS FOLG TO 3910TH COMABGRV, LAKENHEATH, ENGLAND. REF TT MSGS BOI 485 FM 3910TH COMABRV AND IDO 7-3551 FM CINCUSAFE RE UFO SIGHTINGS IN LAKENHEATH AND BENTWATER AREAS, ENGLAND, ON 13 AUG 1956. MSG IN FOUR PARTS.

PART I: EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO MAKE PROPER EVALUATION OR TO ARRIVE AT SOME FIRM CONCLUSION OR DETERMINATION OF ORIGIN OR NATURE OF UFO SIGHTINGS AS INFORMATION SUBMITTED IS SOMEWHAT LIMITED AND INCOMPLETE. OBJECTS OBSERVED ON RADAR , AND VISUALLY BY GROUND OBSERVERS, MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SAME PHENOMENA. ALSO, SIGHTINGS MAY HAVE BEEN RESULT OF A NUMBER OF COINCIDING OR COMBINATION OF FACTORS, SUCH AS WEATHER AND ASTRONOMICAL CONDITIONS. MORE THOROUGH ANALYSES WOULD REQUIRE SUCH PERTINENT INFORMATION AS RADAR SCOPE PHOTOS, WEATHER DATA, INCLUDING INFORMATION ON TEMPERATURE INVERSIONS, MOISTURE LAPSE DATA AND ACCURATE TABULATION OF CORRELATION BETWEEN TIME, PLACE, BEARING, ELEVATION, ALTITUDE AND ANGULAR VELOCITY of respective SIGHTINGS, BOTH ELECTRONIC AND VISUAL. ON BASIS OF INFORMATION GIVEN, WILL SUBMIT SOME DATA AND COMMENTS AS POSSIBLE EXPLANATION OR GUIDANCE TO IDENTITY OF SIGHTINGS

PART II: THE TYPE OF INFORMATION OUTLINED IN PART I ABOVE [IF AVAILABLE] COULD INDICATE WITH REASONABLE DEGREE OF ACCURACY WHETHER OBJECTS OBSERVED ON RADAR SOLID OR DUE TO UNUSUAL WEATHER CONDITIONS, i.e. ANOMALOUS PROPAGATION. HOWEVER, INFORMATION AND DATA PRESENTED TEND TO INDICATE THAT TARGETS ARE DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS. EXAMPLES: A NUMBER OF BLIPS APPEARING AND DISAPPEARING INTERMITTENTLY IS CHARACTERISTIC OF WEATHER RETURNS ON RADAR. STRONG EVIDENCE OF WEATHER AND UNUSUAL ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS CAUSING UNUSUAL PHENOMENA IS SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE OF ALL TARGETS, AS REPORTED ON ALL UFO REPORTS CITED ABOVE. THESE CONDITIONS MAY ALSO EXPLAIN OBSERVED ERRATIC MOVEMENTS AND TREMENDOUS SPEEDS OF SUPPOSED SOLID TARGETS OR "FADE OUTS", AND REAPPEARING AT DIFFERENT LOCATION ON SCOPE. TEMPERATURE INVERSIONS MAY CAUSE RADAR BEAMS PROJECTED UPWARD TO BEND EARTHWARD AND PICK UP OBJECTS ON THE GROUND WHICH APPEAR AS AIRBORNE OBJECTS IN RADAR SCOPES. UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, INVERSIONS MAY CAUSE INTERFERENCE BETWEEN TWO RADAR STATIONS SOME DISTANCE APART. THIS CAN BE CHECKED BY CHANGING FREQUENCY APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 40 MEGACYCLES, IF SETTINGS CAN BE VARIED. THESE RAPID ATMOSPHERIC CHANGES FROM FAVOURABLE TO "ANOMALOUS PROPAGATION" BACK TO NORMAL MAY OFTEN BE CONFUSING TO TRAINED, EXPERIENCED RADAR OBSERVERS, IF SOMETHING OF THIS NATURE NOT EXPERIENCED BEFORE. THIS NOT INTENDED TO INFER NEGLIGENCE OR LACK OF PROFICIENCY ON PART OF OBSERVERS. MISINTERPRETATIONS OR OVERSIGHTS NATURAL DURING SUCH PHENOMENA.

PART III: STRONG CONSIDERATION MUST ALSO BE GIVEN TO ASTRONOMICAL ASPECTS OF THE MATTER AS POSSIBLE EXPLANATION TO ALL OR PART OF SIGHTINGS OBSERVED. THE PERSEIDS, METEORIC SHOWER, REACHES ITS PEAK 11 THRU 18TH OF AUGUST EACH YEAR. IT IS QUITE PROMINENT AND SPECTACULAR OVER ENGLAND AT THROUGH THESE DATES. THESE METEORS CONSIDERED TO HAVE BEEN AT THEIR PEAK ON THE NIGHT OF 13TH AUGUST, SAME DATE OF UFO SIGHTING. FOLLOWING MUST BE CONSIDERED RELATIVE TO PERSEIDS: a.THESE METEORS, IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL FLIGHTS AND FADE OUTS, COULD APPEAR TO CROSS OVER AT LARGE ANGLES TO PATHS OF OTHER METEORS (NOT PERSEIDS). b. METEORS CREATE TRAILS OF IONIZED GASES IN THEIR WAKE WHICH MAY BE TRACED ON RADAR SCOPES. c. RESEARCH HAS INDICATED THAT METEORS PRODUCE VARIATIONS IN THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD WHICH MAY BE RECORDED ON MAGNETIC INSTRUMENTS, SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH RADAR OBSERVATIONS. d. A STUDY MADE IN 1950 DISCLOSED THAT THE MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF MAGNETIC PULSES WERE ON THE 13TH AND 14TH OF AUGUST.

PART IV: IF THE ABOVE GUIDANCE DATA, AND FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS ON YOUR PART, PROVE UNSATISFACTORY AS TO PROBABLE NATURE OF SIGHTINGS, DETAILED INFORMATION OUTLINED IN PART I ABOVE WILL THEN BE REQUIRED TO PURSUE A MORE THOROUGH COURSE OF EVALUATION.

COORDINATION:

AFOIN-4E4 s/s Dr.H.A.Miley DATE 5/9/56

AFOIN-4E s/s Col.H.K.Gilbert DATE -----

AFOIN-4X1 s/s Mr.A.F.Arcier DATE 5/9/56

AFOIN-4E1 s/s Col.G.C.Hoffman DATE 5 Sept 56

s/s Capt. G.T.Gregory
AFOIN-4E4 Telephone 69216

T56-20329

CLASSIFICATION CHANGED TO UNCLASSIFIED, EFFECTIVE ON 15 MARCH 1968, UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF AFR 205-1, PARA 2-176 ( ii), BY Maj H. Quintanilla, Jr.


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