The Last Decade: 10 Years Of Unexplained Project Blue Book Case Files

While the general public perhaps was not as fascinated with aliens from outer space visiting the Earth in the 1960s as they had been the previous decades, UFO sightings continued in abundance. However, this was not necessarily reflected in the reports that made their way to Project Blue Book, and consequently, would see a drop in such cases that remained unexplained.

There were, though, many such unexplained cases, cases that remain unsolved still today. And, as in the previous decade, many of these cases shared remarkably similar details, with many also being reported by credible and trustworthy witnesses.

With this in mind, then, it is perhaps important that at least some of these cases should be reexamined, and then placed into the big picture alongside the wealth of UFO reports that exist outside of Blue Book. In doing so, we might begin to see a fuller picture, one where previously unseen details and patterns emerge.

Before we examine some of the unexplained Blue Book case files of the 1960s, however, we will first have a retrospective look at the eventual real agenda of the project.

A Little (And Brief) Perspective On Project Blue Book

Although the original intention, if only in theory, of Project Blue Book seriously investigating UFOs and informing the public of their findings may have been genuine, as the years of its existence went on, this became increasingly less so, to the point where it was seen by most as looking to actively discredit sightings, and even spread disinformation.

In fact, it was under Ruppelt that the project took on the subject of UFOs most seriously, something that scientist, Michael D. Sword would state in his book UFOs, The Military, and the Early Cold War Era was the “last genuine effort to analyze UFOs”.

Ruppelt made a purposeful effort to remain neutral on the issue, something he would insist his investigators under him did also, even removing some members of his team for being too pro or con on the subject. He also reached out to many different scientists and various experts in their respective fields as part of his running of Project Blue Book.

By the time Ruppelt had left the project in the mid-1950s, there had been a distinct shift in the outlook of Blue Book – at least at the top. For example, a Blue Book officer was based at most air force bases around the country (and abroad), and it was to them that local reports would go before being sent to Ruppelt. However, increasingly certain UFO reports were removed by a high-ranking department before Ruppelt could see them. What’s more, there was an effort made to ensure that only the mundane and easily explained sightings went to Project Blue Book.

Even some of the more intriguing and credible sightings that did reach Blue Book were often dismissed with far from watertight explanations. The Portage County UFO Chase was labeled as nothing more than a misidentification of Venus, and, of course, most in UFO circles will be more than familiar with Swamp Gas sighting.

Just to stress how much this type of behind-the-scenes activity was taking place and the affect it was having on the investigations of the project, the era became known in UFO circles as Blue Book’s “Dark Age”.

Indeed, this discreet manipulation of Blue Book went far beyond merely restricting what cases it could investigate. Investigators were only to comment to the press in any detail on cases that had an explanation. Any cases that couldn’t be explained were only to be commented on as still being investigated.

Even celebrities were used to in various ways to encourage the perception that UFOs were largely nothing other than natural phenomena and misidentified aircraft (remember, intelligence agencies have a strong advisory presence in Hollywood, so this kind of thing most likely happened more than many of us might think – especially given the Cold War and how the United States appeared on the world stage).

By the start of the 1960s, many with an interest in UFOs had lost faith in Blue Book, sensing it was more of a tool to control information and public opinion about the subject than to genuinely investigate the many and continued sightings.

Despite this, however, many sightings were investigated and could not be explained during this final decade of Project Blue Book. And it is to those where we will turn our attention next.

The Beginning Of The End: Unexplained Sightings Continue In 1960

In terms of the Blue Book files, sightings remained consistent but fewer and more evenly spaced through the opening year of the 1960s. ^[1]

For example, at just before 6:30 pm on 27^th February 1960, at Rome Air Force Base in New York, a strange white light that descended before disappearing was witnessed by control tower officer, Captain Huey as well as four further operators. It was visible for around three to four minutes.

Around a week later in Dubuque, Iowa, at just before 6 pm on 4^th March, a witness named as “Morris” reported three “elliptical-shaped objects” that “made a slight climb” and remained in sight for just short of five minutes. The witness attempted to capture a picture of the objects but none of his efforts showed anything but the night sky.

Mr. and Mrs. Larsen had a bizarre sighting near their home in Indianapolis, Indiana at around 3:30 am on 23^rd March. The husband and wife claimed to have seen a “series of balls” in the sky overhead “like an X with one diagonal line”. The aerial anomaly was visible for around four minutes. The report does not indicate if the lights moved away after this, or simply went out.

Just short of a month later, at around 8:30 am on 17^th April at Richards-Gebauer Air Force Base in Missouri, Major J.G. Ford witnessed a “reddish glow” that remained overhead for around two and a half minutes. Just over a week after that sighting on the evening of 25^th April in Shelby, Montana, five “circular objects” were reported by a local resident, Mrs. Clark. The witness claimed the objects moved in a trail formation, accelerating and making sharp turns as they did so.

Over a four-night period from 19^th to 23^rd July, a resident of St. Louis, Missouri witnessed a similar object to that reported by Major Ford three months earlier. The witness – T. L. Ochs – reported seeing a “round, bright red light” that made its way across the sky before stopping and hovering for several moments. It would then “back up” the way it had come. The object would remain visible for around 20 minutes each sighting. Coincidentally or not, all of the sightings, those of Ochs and that of Major Ford, all occurred around 8:30 pm.

An even more intriguing encounter occurred the following month at just before 3:30 am in Wichita, Kansas. A Boeing aeronautical engineer – C.A. Komiske – witnessed a “round object with yellow lights” that was otherwise a “dull orange” color moving overhead. As he looked up at the object, he could see what appeared to be “three triangular windows” on the underside. After two minutes, the object had disappeared from view.

A similar sighting of an “orange-red” object was reported by Mr. and Mrs. Hart on the evening of 27^th November in Chula Vista, California. They would claim it made “huge circles” before stopping and then starting in motion again. The couple watched the display for between 20 and 30 minutes before it disappeared.

At just after 6:30 pm on the 29^th of November just south of Kyushu in Japan, the pilots of a T-33 jet trainer – R. Baldwin and F. Brown – witnessed a bright, white light which alongside their aircraft for around 10 minutes before disappearing.

The Further Decline Of 1961

The following year, 1961 would see even fewer new reports investigated, and consequently, that remained unexplained. ^[2] And many of these unexplained sightings remained very similar.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing of these cases occurred at around 3:30 am on 24^th April around 200 miles to the southwest of San Francisco in California, when aircraft commander, Captain Savoy, and his navigator, M.W. Rand, witnessed a “reddish-white, round object” from their USAF RC patrol plane. It remained visible to the pair for just short of 10 minutes.

A month later, at 4:30 pm on 22^nd May over Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, a Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Davis witnessed a “big silver dollar disc” hovering overhead. What’s more, as it hovered it revolved over on itself. It did this for around 15 minutes and then “suddenly disappeared”.

Several weeks later over Houston, Texas, at around 8 am on 20^th July, the pilot of a Trans-Texas Airlines DC-3 – Captain Beather – reported two “very bright white lights or objects” which flew near his plane in a trail formation for around half an hour.

There were also several similar sightings of glowing objects that were reported toward the end of 1961. On 21^st November, at around 7:30 pm in Oldtown, Florida, two friends, C. Locklear and Helen Hatch, witnessed a “round, red-orange object” that flew directly vertically into the early evening sky before fading after around four minutes. Only two nights later, a resident of Sioux City in Iowa reported a red star-like object that made its way across the sky in a straight line at around 9:30 pm.

Another craft that was witnessed flying in a perfectly straight line was witnessed at just after 5 pm on 13^th December over Washington DC by three residents of the city. They described it as “diamond-shaped” with a “bright tip”. It remained in sight for around two minutes.

Two sightings from the unsolved Project Blue Book case files stand out a little more than the others, though. And it is to that incident where we will turn our attention next.

The “Large Ball” Over Michigan Sightings

Perhaps one of the more intriguing, and detailed sightings of 1961 unfolded at around 11 pm on the evening of 7^th July in Copemish, Michigan. ^[3] On the night in question, waitress, Nanette Hillay noticed a large, round object overhead which she watched for around 45 minutes. Then, without warning, it suddenly split into four separate round objects, each slightly smaller and bluish-red color, which proceeded to descend behind the nearby trees and disappearing leaving only their glow slightly visible.

What makes this sighting even more interesting is that, according to the Blue Book case files, the following evening in nearby Beulah (also in Michigan) a very similar sighting occurred – this one, much more detailed. ^[4] What’s more, one of the witnesses to that incident was named…. Whether this is a coincidence or whether this sighting is essentially the same as the one in Copemish remains unknown.

According to the report at 11 pm on the night in question, six people witnessed a “blueish white light” suddenly appear overhead and make its way across the sky. The first to see it was Terry Gregory and his friend, Nannette Hillay, who noticed the object from Gerogry’s car around five miles outside Beulah. They both watched in amazement as it began to descend, stopping just above the trees and then rising back up into the sky. It came down once more, this time disappearing behind the trees. As it did so, the light lit up the woodland.

At this point, Gregory put the car into motion and made their way into Beulah to pick two further friends, Walt Paynor, and Ronald Shoebridge. The object was still visible by the time they picked up the pair, although it was still seemingly behind the trees, glowing with the “intensity of a full moon”. They watched the object as it brightened and dimmed repeatedly before making their way to another part of the town, arriving there at 11:45 pm. The glow from the object remained visible, and as they watched it, they could make out a “faint rotating beacon” inside of it. They would eventually pull over on Zimmerman Road, the glow still very visible.

Then, around five minutes later, the four witnesses looked on in amazement as a smaller, red object appeared from out of the main glow and made its way “smoothly about two feet above the ground”. Several moments later, another smaller object appeared, this one white, which followed the red object at a distance of several feet. A short time later, the two smaller objects merged as one before splitting into two once more, after which the red object disappeared from sight. Things, however, were about to turn even stranger.

Around three miles behind their vehicle, four new objects appeared – two of which glowed red, with the remaining two glowing white. They appeared to be a short distance above the road and began in the direction of the witnesses. As this happened, Gregory put the car into motion and head back to the middle of town. As they made their way, the first, glowing object still remained visible.

They arrived back in Beulah at around 20 minutes after midnight, almost an hour and a half from when the strange object first appeared. They would inform Gregory’s parents of what they had seen and ultimately convinced them to return with them to the location so they might see the display for themselves. By the time they had all arrived it was 1 am, they did indeed witness the glowing object that was behind the trees (although the smaller red and white objects were no longer there). The three male friends would return to the site once more after taking Mr. and Mrs. Gregory, as well as Nannette home. This time, however, the glowing object had disappeared.

Not only could Blue Book investigators find no explanation for the sighting, they also noted how the witnesses were both credible and “sincere” in what they had seen. The case remains unsolved today half a century later.

The Phipps-Furkenhoff Incident

Another intriguing incident unfolded at around 9 pm in Kansas City in Kansas ^[5] around a month later on the evening of 12^th August. On the night in question, according to a summary of the case by Dr. James E. McDonald, two college seniors – Tom Phipps and J. Furkenhoff – were driving home along 50^th Street in Kansas City near to Old Mission High School in Phipps’ open-top convertible, when Furkenhoff noticed something unusual in the sky above.

He watched the strange disc or cylindrical-shaped object for several moments before drawing his friend’s attention to it. From their perspective, the object appeared to be several blocks away and hovering at an altitude of no more than 100 feet. They concentrated their attention on the aerial anomaly, noting that it appeared to be completely silent and had lights around its edge.

In the next few minutes, they would drive directly underneath the craft and so managed to get a detailed look. They would recall that there were no “wings, tail, or propeller” visible to them, as well as no obvious engine or means of propulsion. They would further describe the lights as having a yellow “neon glow” to them. They also noticed that despite the object hovering over the top of several houses, the street was completely deserted making them realize they were potentially (and likely) the only witnesses.

They would later recall that the object was approximately the size of a football field (although they would later state it was more likely around 100 feet across) and had an “opaque, solid” quality to it that clearly blocked the night sky. Both of them recalled feeling surprisingly “uneasy” as they watched the craft from below on the road.

They watched it for just short of five minutes before it accelerated off into the distance, going from being stationary to being out of sight in a matter of only seconds.

Even more interesting, after the two witnesses informed their parents of what they had seen, Phipps’ mother contacted a friend – Major John Yancey – and asked if he could find anything out about the night in question from the nearby Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base. Amazingly, he would inform Phipps’ mother that an unidentified object had been witnessed on their radars at the time of the sighting. Despite the corroboration of the witnesses and the apparently matching radar data, no further investigation of the incident took place and the sighting remains unexplained.

UFO Sightings Continue In 1962 But Blue Book Cases Decrease

Although 1962 was once more decidedly quieter with only a handful of unexplained accounts in its files, those that do remain are certainly worthy of our examination. ^[6]

Perhaps it is best to start on the 26^th October when, on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, three separate sightings were reported – all of which remain unexplained. At just after 1:30 pm, at Ramstein Air Base in West Germany, Captain J. Lowery was piloting his aircraft when he noticed a “thin, cylindrical object” which he estimated was flying around 2000 miles per hour. It disappeared into the distance after around five seconds.

In the United States, at just before 11 pm in Westfield, Massachusetts, multiple local residents witnessed a “large red ball” descend out of the night sky before rising back up again. In total, the object was visible for around 10 minutes. Just short of an hour later in Naperville, Illinois, two women – Mrs. Wheeler and Claudine Milligan – saw between six and eight red balls overhead that were “arranged in a rectangular formation”. They remained overhead for around 15 minutes before disappearing.

Several very similar sightings took place several months later in the summer. For example, at around 4 am on 21^st June in Indianapolis, Indiana, Colonel King and Master Sergeant Roberts witnessed “three bright star-like lights” from a B-52 heavy jet bomber. The lights remained visible for around three minutes before disappearing.

Just over a month later, at around 11:20 pm on 29^th July in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, Mr. and Mrs. Barton reported seeing a “bright, cherry-red, diamond-shaped object” that moved overhead slowly before hovering for several moments. It then “made fast loops” for around 10 minutes before disappearing.

At 5 pm on 18^th August in Bermuda, the owner of a local radio station, M. Sheppard, and the chief announcer, A. Seymor, witnessed three “dull-white, egg-shaped objects” that appeared to “waver” as they moved across the sky. The pair were able to view the objects for around 20 minutes before they disappeared.

Just over a month later, at a little after 7:30 pm on 21^st September near Biloxi, Mississippi in the Gulf of Mexico, the captain of a fishing boat, S. Guthrie, would report seeing two strange crafts which were red and black in color and had “orange streams” on them. One of these, he would recall, was “as big as the Moon” while the other was decidedly smaller. They moved across the sky in an arc before disappearing after no more than 15 minutes.

A month after that incident in Farmington, Utah, at 3 pm on 23^rd October, local resident, L. Christensen, witnessed a “grey and silver ball” making its way through the air. As it did so it made a sound “like a flock of ducks” or “rushing air”. It remained visible for around 20 seconds.

1963 Sees More Unexplained UFO Encounters

The number of unsolved cases in the Blue Book files (a result of the number of genuinely investigation-worthy files coming their way we might recall) continued in 1963. ^[7] For example, a teenager from New Plymouth, New Zealand, C. Chapman, witnessed a “white, fuzzy, flashing light” that hovered and darted in the sky for just short of five minutes at around 10:30 pm on 18^th May. Four nights later, at 10:45 pm in Pequannock, New Jersey, Myra Jackson would make a report of seeing “four pink wheels” which would spin and roll very fast across the sky before disappearing.

During late June, early (the exact date is unknown), a resident of Middletown, New York, Grace Dutcher saw between eight and ten lights that appeared to “move at random” at around 10 pm. After a short while, they then moved in a strict oval formation before separating off once again. The sighting itself lasted no longer than 60 seconds.

On the evening of 1^st July, at around 8 pm in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, R. Stiles witnessed a strange light that flashed and moved around the sky in random ways for almost 90 minutes. Just over a month later on the evening of 11^th August in the Warrenville area of Illinois, E. Boersma witnessed a similar light overhead, although this time it was only visible for around 20 seconds.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean two nights later, at just after 8 pm in St. Gallen, Switzerland, A. Schelling watched what at first appeared to be a “fireball” in the sky getting larger as it approached. The closer it got, however, the more it appeared as a “dark object” before glowing brighter once more. After around 4 minutes the object “exploded” (it is not clear what “exploded” means in the report). According to the report, the same witness saw a similar object the following evening.

On the afternoon of 14^th September, at just after 3 pm in Susanville, California, a veteran of the US Forest Service with particular experience and skill as a forest fire lookout, E. Grant, witnessed a very strange event indeed. He would state in his report that he saw a round object that “intercepted” a longer craft. He would continue that this round object “either attached itself to the latter or disappeared”. Within 10 minutes, the aerial anomaly had disappeared.

A similar sighting unfolded on 4^th October at around 3:30 pm in Bedford, Ohio when teenager, R. Carpenter, reported seeing an “intense oblong light with tapered ends”. They would continue that the strange object was “surrounded by an aqua haze”. It would flash and flicker for around 15 seconds before it disappeared.

Several weeks later in Meridian, Idaho, several unnamed students witnessed a circular object that appeared similar to the shape of a football. It hovered relatively low in the sky and made a “deep, pulsating, loud, extremely irritating sound” and remained visible for just over five minutes. The following night, in Cupar Fife in Scotland, to young boys – A. McLean and G. McLean – noticed a strange light that moved across the sky for a considerable amount of time.

Why So Few Blue Book Cases In A Year As Active As 1964?

For a year that was so active in terms of UFO reports, it is a little perplexing that so few of the Blue Book reports were classified unsolved. ^[8] Some of those that remain so, however, are extremely thought-provoking in their own right, with a particular concentration of such reports occurring across the spring and late summer months.

At 9 pm on the 3^rd April in Monticello, Wisconsin, Mr. and Mrs. Wold reported seeing “four huge red lights in a rectangular formation”. What’s more, there was another light – this one white in color – that hovered above the red ones, which themselves were relatively close to the ground. They remained in sight for around four minutes before flying off into the distance.

Just over a week later, at 6:30 pm on 11^th April in Homer, New York, Mr. and Mrs. Ochsner saw two “cloud-like objects” overhead which appeared to “darken”. The objects remained visible for between half an hour and 45 minutes, with one of the temporarily shooting off into the distance before returning again.

A brief sighting took place at around 10:20 pm on 9^th May in Chicago, Illinois when US District Court reporter, J. Betz, witnessed “three light green crescent-shaped objects” flying at an extremely fast pace and in a “tight formation”. They remained in sight for only a matter of seconds.

A similar sighting occurred at around 7:45 pm on the evening of 26^th May in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when an RAF pilot, P. Wankowicz, witnessed a “thin, white ellipsoid” which flew very fast across the sky, disappearing within four seconds. On the same evening, at 11 pm in Pleasantview, Pennsylvania, Reverend H, Shaw witnessed a “yellow-orange light” that he recalled was shaped “like the bottom of a ball”.

Just under a month later, at around 9:15 pm on 13^th June in Toledo, Ohio, the announcer of a local radio station, WTOD, B. English, witnessed “three glowing white spheres” which had a strange “red glow” on their sides. The object would move slowly before stopping and hovering. They would then move in a circular motion very fast. Throughout the sighting, the objects made a “low, rumbling sound”.

Three nights later, around 15 miles to the south of Houghton Lake in Michigan, at just after 11 pm, a pilot for Northern Air Service, K. Jannereth, saw four white lights that were in a “stepped-up echelon formation”. They would ultimately fly alongside the plane for around five minutes before they headed off into the distance.

Only four days after that at just before 5 am on 20^th July in Littleton, Illinois, local resident J.J. Winkle claimed to have seen a “round-topped, flat-bottomed object” that was approximately 60 feet across. He would further claim that a “long acetylene-colored flame” shot downward from the craft as it flew in a straight line before performing “half a loop” and then ascending. The object remained in sight for around a minute.

The following week on the 27^th June, two unexplained events unfolded. The first took place at 7:30 pm in Norwich, New York when a local resident witnessed an “aluminum sphere with a luminous ring” hovering overhead. It remained there for around five minutes before disappearing. At 8:20 pm in Denver, Colorado, A. Borsa reported seeing a “white ball of fire” that was approximately the “size of a car”. The object remained in a steady ascent before speeding up and disappearing out of sight within around three minutes.

The Mt. Airy Sighting And The Summer Flurry 1965

Most of the unsolved Project Blue Book case files for 1965 took place in the early spring and summer months of the year. ^[9] However, one incident, on the morning of 23^rd January at around 8:40 am on Williamsburg, Virginia is still worthy of our time. The witness, Mr. Mains, would claim to have seen a strange object from his home that was “mushroom or lightbulb-shaped” and was around 80 feet high and 25 feet across at its widest point (at the top).

Mains would recall that the object’s exterior was a metallic grey color, while there was a “red-orange glow on the near side and a blue glow on the far side”. Of further interest, the witness, who watched the sighting from his car, claimed that as the object moved overhead the electrical systems of the vehicle began to be affected. He also recalled hearing a faint sound similar to a vacuum cleaner that he believed emanated from the strange aerial vehicle. Within 25 seconds, however, the craft had moved out of sight and disappeared.

Another intriguing incident occurred on 8^th March, a father and son witnessed six red lights moving overhead in Mt. Airy, Maryland. ^[10] They were moving at an approximate speed of 20 miles per hour and were a little over 1000 feet from their location and anywhere between 100 and 500 feet high. The more they looked at them, the more it appeared that they were in three sets of two and were likened to the “tail fin of a 1958 Ford”, with one of the witnesses even claiming they “looked like a flying wing”.

Although it doesn’t say who exactly (perhaps the father’s wife) “another witness” joined the pair outside and witnessed the lights also. It was clear that they were heading in the direction of the nearby hills, and once they arrived there, they went over the top of them and disappeared. In total, they were visible to the witnesses for around three minutes.

The incident still remains without explanation, with the report stating that “the outstanding factors in this sighting are the very low speed, the floating sensation, and the extreme closeness yet lack of sound reported”. Although investigators attempted to match any recent military balloon launches to the location and time of the sighting, they were unable to do so.

UFO Sightings Hit A High In The Summer

As the Spring of 1965 gave way to the summer, several more Blue Book cases would unfold without an explanation. For example, at just after 4 am on 4^th April at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, several base personnel witnessed a “black, oval object” that was at least 40 feet across and had four lights on the underside. It was only visible for 15 seconds, flying in and out of the clouds as it moved across the sky.

Just over a month later, on 7^th May at 7:30 pm in Oxford, Michigan, local resident, M. Marshall, witnessed a strange light that he at first thought to be a satellite. That was until it “split into two parts” before being joined by two other objects that the witness had not seen approaching. These objects were in sight for around 60 seconds before disappearing. Investigators put forward that they may have witnessed something “tumbling” to the ground, but, ultimately, concluded the object was unidentified.

A similar incident occurred in the nearby state of Wisconsin two months later in Kiel at 9:30 pm on 6^th July. On the night in question, Mrs. Hayner reported a flashing light that she described as being “like a satellite” that was visible for around a minute. Unfortunately, no further details are available. The following month, at the same time on the evening of 4^th August in Dallas, Texas, J. Carter witnessed another similar sighting, reporting a single light that flew straight and fast across the sky before disappearing. On the same night as that sighting, around two hours later at 11:30 pm in Tinley Park, Illinois, two teenagers witnessed a single light move across the sky for just under half a minute.

A particularly intriguing incident occurred on the evening of 19^th August at around 8:20 pm in Cherry Creek, New York. On the night question, Mrs. Butcher and her teenage son, Harold, along with her other children (the report doesn’t specify how many) witnessed a “large elliptical object” that appeared to have a “reddish vapor” around its underside. Even more unnerving, the object descended relatively close to the ground before shooting straight back into the sky at an alarming speed.

During the sighting, the engine of the tractor the witnesses were in stopped completely and the radio became overwhelmed with traffic. The witnesses further recalled that they could hear a “beeping” noise when the object was close to the ground. They also noticed a bizarre odor in the moments after it had disappeared (incidentally, many UFO reports of close encounters with such craft often tell of a smell of sulfur during or following such an encounter). An even further twist occurred the following day when Butcher returned to the field where the object had descended and found several patches of grass that looked burnt as well as a bizarre “purplish liquid”.

As intriguing as the above encounters are, one other from 1965’s unsolved Blue Book files is particularly so. And it is there we will turn our focus now.

The Illuminated Patrol Car Incident

On the evening of 3^rd September, at around 11 pm on Damon, Texas, Deputy Sheriff Bob Goode was driving along Highway 36 on patrol along with another officer, referred to as “McCoy”. ^[11] The night sky was particularly clear, with the moon casting its silver light on the earth below. As they made their way along the highway, McCoy suddenly spotted something unusual in the sky – a bright, purple glowing object approximately five miles from them on the horizon.

Then, things turned even stranger when a smaller, blue light emerged from the larger, purple one, moved to its right, and then stopped and hovered. By this time, both men realized they were witnessing something truly out of the norm. After several more moments, both of the lights began to move skyward in a “drifting” motion, eventually stopping and hovering once more.

Goode reached for his binoculars and examined the objects a little closer. However, despite being zoomed in on them, he couldn’t make out any defining features. They put the car in full motion once more, looking for any possible short-cuts that would take them closer to where the lights were hovering. They would eventually bring the vehicle to a stop to reassess their position. As soon as they did so, the strange lights rushed toward them. Within two seconds they were directly overhead.

The two policemen surveyed the situation, noting how their patrol car and the immediate area all around them was bathed in a glowing purple wash. As they looked upward at the two lights, they could see that they were not separate objects but the underside lights of a huge vehicle which was at an approximate altitude of 100 feet.

McCoy would state in his report to the military that the “bulk of the object was plainly visible at this time” and that the object appeared to be triangular in shape. The exterior was a dark grey with no markings or other details. He would further estimate that the craft was around 200 feet wide and approximately 50 feet thick at its biggest point in the middle. He also noted that it remained completely silent throughout the encounter.

Goode, who had his arm hanging out of the window during the incident, later recalled that he felt an intense heat that appeared to penetrate through his shirt sleeve.

Goode then put their car in motion and they headed back to town “as fast as we could go”, even claiming to have reached speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. McCoy would do his best to initially keep the object in view through the rear window of the patrol car. However, after only 15 seconds of them setting off, the object had returned to its original position with as much speed as it had approached them. Them, not more than a second later, it “went straight up into the air and disappeared”.

After returning to the station, they calmed their nerves and made the decision to return to the location of the sighting and see what happened. To their amazement, when they reached the scene, the purple light was once again visible in the distance. And once more, moments after they stopped their car, the smaller blue light appeared, moving then stopping in exactly the same way it had done before. They had witnessed all they wanted to, and before the lights could approach they turned around and headed away from the area.

They would eventually finish their shift at around 4 am and go to eat breakfast together at a local café. It was there when another twist in the incident occurred. According to Goode, he had been bitten by a baby alligator on the morning of the sighting – hence the reason he had his arm out of the window so as to give the bandaged hand some cool air.

As he and McCoy ate breakfast only hours after the sighting, Goode suddenly noticed that the wound was no longer sore as it had been at the time of the sighting. When he removed the bandage, he and McCoy were even more amazed to discover the wound was almost entirely healed. It would ultimately heal completely within days with no scarring.

Incidentally, in the Project Blue Book report, Major Laurence Leach Jr. described the witnesses as “intelligent, mature, (and) level-headed” who were each clearly “capable of sound judgment and reasoning”. What’s more, he would write that there was “no doubt in my mind that they definitely saw some unusual object or phenomenon”.

What is also interesting about this sighting is that on the same night on the northeast coast of the United States in Exeter, New Hampshire, one of the most intriguing, multi-witness sightings in UFO history was taking place. One which featured a UFO seemingly targeting and “diving” toward the witnesses.

An Increase Of Unexplained UFO Incidents In 1966

If the opening years of the 1960s had seen UFO sightings – at least official reports of them – slow slightly (with the possible exception of 1964), 1966 had many strange events to offer.

One of the most intriguing incidents took place in Nederland, Texas on the morning of 6^th February at just before 6 am. ^[12] Local resident, Kenneth Gulley was asleep in bed with his wife when his 11-year-old son came through their room to the family bathroom, waking him as he turned on the bathroom light. However, a moment or so later, the light went out suddenly. Gulley got out of bed and made his way to the bedroom window to see if the streetlights were also out suggesting a widespread power cut. They were indeed no longer shining.

It was as he was looking out of the window that he noticed how the garden below was bathed in an intense red glow. In fact, it wasn’t just his garden, but much of the area in the immediate vicinity. What’s more, this glow had a “pulsating” appearance to it, similar to a police car’s flashing lights.

As Gulley continued to watch the bizarre scene outside, he noticed two lights, each red-yellowish in color, that were coming from what appeared to be a solid object that hovered approximately 500 in the air. The lights themselves appeared to move back and forth and appeared very similar to neon light tubes.

By this point, his wife had joined him at the window, and while they couldn’t hear any noise or sounds coming from the strange object, they did both notice an uncomfortable “high-frequency pitch”.

Initially, because of the overcast night, no moon shone down and so Gulley was unable to make out any specific details of the object. However, due to the object heading in the direction of nearby Jefferson County Airport, circumstances would unfold in a way that would give Gulley a chance to view the object clearly. As the object and the plane neared, the object came to a stop, and lights were extinguished. The plane passed over the object and temporarily lit it up with its landing lights.

Gulley would recall seeing that the strange craft was shaped “like a tadpole” and was approximately six feet tall and eight feet long and around two feet wide. On the top, in the middle, the appeared to be a dome of some kind.

When the aircraft had passed over, the lights – which appeared to be on the tail of the craft – turned back on once again. The object would begin to rise again, eventually disappearing into the distance.

Gulley would later speak with an employee of the local power company and discovered that the power cut was due to a transformer failure. What’s more, this transformer was located near to his home and the failure occurred at almost the same time that the object was nearby. It isn’t known if any other residents of the street (or nearby streets) saw the strange object that evening. However, given it was the middle of the night (remember, Gulley himself was awake only by chance), it is unlikely.

Ultimately, however, in a report written by 1^st Lieutenant William F. Marley Jr., the investigation “did not disclose any feasible explanation” for the sighting. It remains unexplained.

Further Strange Sightings Continue Throughout The Year

There remain several other unexplained UFO sightings in the Blue Book files that occurred during 1966. ^[13] Only days before the incident in Nederland, for example, at a little after 11 pm on the 2^nd of February in Salisbury, North Carolina, Mr. and Mrs. Wise witnessed a “silver, diamond-shaped object” with “several balls” that appeared circulate around it at an extremely fast pace. The object would hover over some nearby trees for several minutes before it suddenly “zipped out of sight”.

A discreet surge of sightings began at a little after midnight on the 20^th March in Miami, Florida, when an employee of NASA at Cape Kennedy, Major K. Smith, witnessed a “pulsating light” which would change colors from white to an “intense blue”. It hovered for around five minutes before performing a “jerky motion” and vanishing into the distance with alarming speed.

Almost exactly 48 hours later, at around 1:30 am on 22^nd March in Houston, Texas, local resident, S. Musachia, reported “white flashing lights” that appeared to fill the air with smoke. The lights were so bright they lit up the witness’s entire apartment. This incident took place for around four minutes before the object seemingly disappeared.

The following day at just after 5 am in Temple, Oklahoma, W. Laxson reported a large object that they likened to a “wingless C-124 transport plane”. They would estimate it was around 75 feet long, around 12 feet wide, and eight feet high, with a “bubble canopy on top”. In a rare landing and occupant encounter investigated by Project Blue Book, the object appeared to land on the highway. A short time later, “a man dress in military work clothes” appeared and entered the craft. After around 30 seconds it began to rise into the air and took off into the sky.

Only three days after that, also in Oklahoma, this time in Texhoma at around midnight, Mrs. Beer and Mrs. Smith were subject to a “flashing light” that “buzzed” their car for several minutes. It approached from the front and then hovered over the top of the vehicle. It disappeared after around 10 minutes.

A W. Smith from Alto, Tennessee, at just before midnight on the 5^th April witnessed an “oval object with a dark top” which looked as though it was “cone-shaped when moving”. It remained in sight for almost two and a half hours and made a “high-frequency noise” throughout.

A Very Busy Summer

There was an apparent increase in sightings during the summer beginning in June. At around 9:30 pm on 6^th June in Spooner, Wisconsin, Dorothy Gray made a report of “two domed discs” that had square windows on the top half, which also sparkled as if highly polished. The objects revolved over a nearby lake, causing a bizarre kind of reaction to the water below. In just short of 30 seconds, the object had vanished.

Two days later at around 6:45 am in Kansas, Ohio, Max Baker witnessed a “bright, silver cigar-shaped object” that was at least “as long as an airliner” that flew in close proximity to his car for just short of a minute. A multi-witness sighting unfolded at around half past midnight on 18^th June in Burnsville, North Carolina when a group of Boy Scouts witnessed a “bell-shaped object” that had “three flashing red lights” in the night skies. It hovered overhead for around five hours before being joined by six other similar objects.

At 4 am on 27^th June, around 400 miles to the east of Wake Island, Radio Officer Steffen Soresen witnessed a “cloud” that appeared to expand with a strange light inside. It hovered in one place for several minutes before moving away and disappearing from sight.

Two local residents of Union, Pennsylvania, Carl Wood and Charles Hawthorne, witnessed a large bright red object at just before 8 pm on 11^th July. The two witnesses would state the object had “small windows and yellow lights” and made a strange “humming” noise that they, for reasons they couldn’t explain, appeared to come from outside of the craft. What’s more, they noticed a “grinding noise” that appeared to come from the inside. The object, whatever it was, remained in sight for around an hour.

Two weeks later, at 1 am on 25^th July in Vanceboro, North Carolina, college student, James Clark, witnessed a strange object that followed the witness’s car and changed color from orange to red, to blue to green as it did so. Eventually, the object reached his vehicle and hovered over the top of it. After several moments it rose into the air and disappeared within five seconds. All in all, the entire sighting last just short of an hour.

Six days later, four friends – Douglas Tibbetts, Betty Klem, Anita Haifley, and Gerald Labelle – witnessed a “square or hexagonal object” with lit edges at just before 7:30 pm on the 31^st July at Presque Isle State Park in Pennsylvania. The above stopped its descent at between five to 10 feet above the ground. The witnesses could see a “circle of spotlights” on the top. After five minutes if rose into the air and disappeared.

Many Bizarre Objects Reported

More unexplained sightings unfolded from the late summer onwards. At around 7 pm on 23^rd August  in Columbus in Ohio, two residents named as “Broomall and Gilpin” in the report, witnessed a “white, circular, luminous object” which subsequently “split into five objects” and then “streaked away” into the distance.

Three nights later on 26^th August at just before 9 pm in Gaylesville, Alabama, the funk family (Mr. and Mrs. Funk and their three children) witnessed four orange-yellow lights that glowed in a triangular formation. They moved from the east to the west and remained in sight for around five minutes.

Just short of a week later on 1^st September in Wilsboro, New York, at around 2:45 pm, a T.H. Ridman witnessed an oval-shaped object that “flashed red and white”, as well as blue on occasion, as it moved toward the west across the sky. It initially disappeared over the horizon but reappeared several moments later. This time, a loud noise accompanied its presence. The sighting lasted for around half an hour before it finally disappeared for good.

Five days later on the 6^th September another intriguing sighting unfolded over Suffolk County Air Force Base, also in New York, at just before 7 pm, two witnesses named as “Stahl and Ladesic” would make a report of a “white cylinder of light” that approached their location at a very high speed. It then stopped dead and hovered for around three minutes before turning and heading out of sight. It had disappeared within 10 minutes.

Three nights after that, at 9 pm on 9^th September, once more in New York, this time in Franklin Springs, a witness known only as “Jacobson” would make a report of an object that was “larger than an army tank with lights all around it”. It hovered for around 30 minutes, making a “low humming sound” as it did so before disappearing into nearby woodland.

Four days after that, at around 7:30 am on 13^th September in Gwinner, North Dakota, a local resident witnessed a “silvery-grey” object with a “clear bubble” on the top side that hovered in the sky around a mile away.

Strange Lights And Mysterious Objects

On the evening of 5^th October in Osceola, Wisconsin, “several members of one family” witnessed a “moon-shaped object” that hovered for around 20 minutes and glowed a bright orange color. It then took off at a blistering pace and disappeared into the distance.

At around 6 pm on 23^rd October in Southampton, Long Island, New York, Mr. Acquino made a report of a bizarre object that appeared to have “arms in front of it” and which “sparkled like an arc-light”. The object appeared to be taking a purposeful course over a set of powerlines before turning away and heading into the distance. The witness also noticed a “slight humming” sound during the four-minute sighting.

Only three nights later on the evening of 26^th October at Cold Bay Air Force Station in Alaska, a civilian control tower operator witnessed an unidentified white-colored object approaching the runway. In response, the runway lights were switched on. However, as soon as the runway was illuminated, the object climbed once more and disappeared into the distance at an alarming speed. The object was only in view for around three seconds according to the witness report.

On the evening of 8^th November in Saginaw, Michigan, a college graduate saw a “group of lights that flashed and changed color” hovering only a short distance above the surface of the road. After around five minutes, the lights vanished suddenly and without warning.

At 3 am on Christmas Day in Monroe, Oregon, several military personnel and local residents witnessed three round objects that were “as large as cars” and appeared to give off a strange “vapor”. The objects glowed a bright reddish-orange color, remaining in sight for around 90 minutes in total. The report also suggests that a “blast” occurred with one of the objects, and while it is not clear if this was just prior to it taking off and disappearing, this blast “pushed one witness against a car”.

Another Busy Blue Book Year In 1967

The first half of 1967, in particular, was relatively busy in terms of UFO sightings to investigate, and consequently, a good handful of these cases still remain unexplained. ^[14] For example, at just before 9 pm on 6^th February in Odessa, Delaware, Donald and Marie Guseman made a report of a “Saturn-shaped object” that was around 50 feet wide and 20 feet high. They also reported that the object had a red light on one side and a green light on the other and that it hovered motionless over the trees for several minutes. Then, it moved away, calmly and slowly, remaining clearly in sight for around two minutes before it suddenly vanished.

Less than a week later, at 3:40 am on 12^th February at Grand Rapids in Michigan, local resident, Lou Atkinson claimed to have seen “four fluorescent football-shaped objects” moving across the sky in a “very rigid formation”. He would further recall that the objects were dull and a strange “almost grey luminous color”. They were in sight for no longer than 10 seconds before disappearing.

Four nights after that, Lynn Marsh witnessed a strange lit object with “faded edges” at a little after 9 pm in Stoughton, Wisconsin on 16^th February. They remained in sight for around five minutes before disappearing. At just after 3 am on 20^th February, again in Wisconsin, this time in Oxford, a former USAF veteran, Stanton Summer, reported an “orange-red object” that had moved alongside his truck for almost two minutes.

Back in Michigan, this time in Grand Haven at 8:20 pm on 27^th February, Sheriff Gryson, his wife, and several other residents witnessed a large white light that appeared to have several smaller red and green lights to the side of it moving through the sky before performing breakneck turns at incredible speeds. The display continued for around an hour before disappearing.

At just after midnight on the 6^th March in the Benton Harbor area of Michigan, former policeman and assistant director of a local radio station, Jerome Wolanin, along with his wife, witnessed a “round saucer or oval-shaped object” moving from east to west across the night sky. They further recalled that the object had “red, green, and yellow lights” around the underside edge, which appeared to pulsate. During the sighting, which lasted around 40 minutes, the object was joined by a second almost identical craft. They would come to a stop in the sky and hovered for several minutes. Each of the witnesses recalled hearing a strange hissing sound which disappeared when the objects did.

A Discreet Wave Of UFO Activity

On the same evening as the sighting in Benton Harbor, in the nearby state of Illinois in Galesburg-Moline around four hours later at just before 4:30 am, Deputy Sheriff Frank Courson saw a strange object in the sky that he described as looking “like a rubber cup which is place under a furniture leg”. This strange object also had a dome on the top, while its bottom half “pulsated red” and “spun rapidly”. After several moments the object came toward the witness, passing directly over him at a low altitude before heading into the distance.

Three nights later on 9^th March, at just after 7 pm in the Galesburg area of Illinois, two housewives witnessed a “pancake” shaped object that a “round top” and was “pulsating red” with red lights that were around the underside edge. This strange object approached the witness, eventually stopping a short distance away and letting out a bright white light that was blinding to the two women. After 10 seconds, the white light went out and the object headed away from them at a considerable pace.

Around two hours later, in Onawa, Iowa, Jack Lindley witnessed a “bright, white, saucer-shaped” craft that he would recall was “as big as a jetliner” that flew in a straight line across the sky, remaining visible for approximately two minutes. Another sighting occurred in Iowa several weeks later, at just before 10:30 pm in Wapello, when Douglas Eutsler reported “fluorescent, solid, multi-colored lights” hovering motionless for around a minute or so before moving away with speed.

An even more mind-blowing encounter unfolded two nights later in Belt, Montana. At around 9 pm on the night in question, truck driver, Ken Williams, claimed to have seen a “dome-shaped object” which gave out a bright light as it descended out of the sky. Williams watched as the object appeared to land in a nearby ravine, remaining there for several minutes. After this time, the object rose into the air once more and hovered in the sky, “hidden from the highway”.

On the afternoon of 26^th March, at around 4 pm in New Winchester, Ohio, multiple witnesses saw an “oval object” that they agreed “looked like copper or brass” in the afternoon sun. They also recalled that this strange craft flew in a “tumbling” motion, and remained visible for around half an hour.

Like previous years, some reports stood out a little more than others. We will turn our attention to two of them next.

The Multi-Witness Jefferson City Sighting

On the evening of 17^th April, beginning around 9 pm in Jefferson City, Montana, a UFO incident would unfold that featured multiple different witnesses. ^[15]

The first witness was the principal of a local school who was driving home from a PTA meeting. He was making his way down a quiet, country road when he noticed a sudden “glow coming from over the cliff”. At first, the principal thought a small aircraft had gone drastically off course and was about to land in one of the nearby fields. That was until he saw the source of the light.

As the glow rose and appeared from over the hill, he could clearly see a bizarre object that was “shaped something like a World War One helmet”. At this point, the witness slowed his car down so he could view the object with more focus and clarity.

He would estimate it was approximately 300 feet and at one point remained hovering motionless in the air. It then turned its direction and started out in the direction of the airport. He would further state that the object was like a “terrific birth light” that appeared to pierce the roof of his car, lighting it up inside. Even stranger, when he looked at his hands, they appeared as he was “looking at X-Ray photos”.

This final detail – especially given the apparent credibility of the witness – is extremely interesting. Similar details have been seen in other close UFO encounters, perhaps one of the most well-known being the encounter of Harry Turner a little over a decade later in 1979.

At this stage, the principal exited his vehicle to join a car of friends that had been following his and who had also stopped their car to see the bizarre events. They remained near their respective vehicles as they watched the huge object for around 10 minutes as it hovered over nearby powerlines.

Then, the principal decided the best course of action was to make his way to the airport and warn them of the arriving, unknown aircraft heading in their direction. By the time he arrived there, the object was over the facility. And what’s more, several people outside were standing staring up at the bizarre aerial display. Despite this, though, partly because there was no glass control tower at the airport, and partly because operators were concerned with an incoming flight, operators in the tower were unaware of the anomalous object.

In his attempt to alert the tower, the witness claimed to have heard part of the radio exchange between the incoming plane and airport operators. He recalled that the pilot stated:

I see it…It’s below me…It’s huge!

Later that evening, when the object had disappeared, the military sought to interview all of the witnesses. The school principal recalled that these military officers didn’t appear to deny that people had seen anything. They were, it seemed to him, that they were more concerned with “how much of it did you see?”

Incidentally, the military would state that the object was likely a balloon, or even Sirius, before concluding that the object was “unknown”.

The Sighting Of Harold Washington

A particularly intriguing encounter took place in Meridian, Mississippi at just before 6 pm on 10^th July ^[16] when a former military officer witnessed an object he couldn’t identify in the early evening sky. The witness, Harold Washington, was driving just to the south of the town of Meridian when the radio suddenly faded away and the engine stopped dead.

Washington exited the vehicle and went to the hood to see if he could see what the problem might be. As he did so, however, he saw an object that he would describe as being of “excessive size” move across the sky slightly in front of him at an altitude of around 200 to 300 feet. The object itself appeared to be completely silent, although he could hear a sound that he likened to the “rushing of an extreme wind”.

The object was shaped, according to Washington’s description, “like a cymbal on a drum set” and was a “dirty metallic gray” color. It was approximately the size of “the length of a house” and appeared to contain no portholes or other openings.

It appeared as though the object was headed toward the ground making Washington, at first, believe it was about to crash. However, before it reached the tree line it “titled upward” and began to rise once more. As it did so, Washington was able to see the top part of the object, which he described as the color similar to the “bluing of a good weapon”.

Washington – a professional golfer at the time of the sighting – was regarded as a reliable, credible witness by investigators, and the incident remains without explanation still today being officially classed as “unidentified”.

The “Winddown” Of The Last Years

By the time 1968 was unfolding, it was clear that Project Blue Book’s days were numbered. ^[17] In fact, for the year of 1968, only three unexplained case files can be found in their records.

At around 4:20 am on 9^th February in Groveton, Missouri, local resident, Mr. Bland, witnessed a strange object over his home that was approximately 100 feet across and at an altitude of around 25 feet. He would further state that the craft had “concave sides” with “portholes in the center” of each one that gave off a “yellow-green light”. He watched the object for around five minutes before it took off with great speed toward the southwest. As it did so, it emitted a “pulsating sound” that the witness would describe as being “like a length of wire whirled at high speed above the head”.

Another interesting sighting occurred around seven months later at 9:30 pm near Ocala in Florida on the night of 15^th September. On the night in question, a missionary pilot, Jay Cole, was piloting a Beech C-45 twin-engine utility plane when a strange light appeared and “performed aerobatics” before vanishing after a quarter of an hour. Then, a second light appeared, only this one was heading straight toward them. Before it collided, however, it made a sharp turn and disappeared. Several minutes later, Cole received communication from the control tower that they were tracking an unidentified object that appeared to be following him and did so for around 15 minutes before disappearing for good. Just what the strange object was remains unknown.

At just after 8 pm on 23^rd November in Newton, Georgia, a local resident – Mr. Jones – reported seeing an “oblong light” that was hovering around 75 feet above the ground and was between 120 to 150 feet wide. Even more amazing, this bright object sent a beam downward that lit the ground below. As this happened, his car radio began to experience intense static followed by the engine dying completely. He remained watching the lit oblong craft for three to four minutes before it moved straight up into the sky and disappeared. When it did so, the car engine came back to life and the radio returned to normal.

The only case on file for the final year of Blue Book’s existence occurred at just before 3:30 am in Crittenden, Virginia, when a test facility mechanic, Roman Lupton, witnessed “several amber lights” I the sky, one of which, he claimed, was “blinking”.

The strange glowing objects would move forward at a slow pace, moving up and down as they did so. He noticed a “humming” sound that he assumed was coming from the objects. After around two minutes, the light made a sharp turn and disappeared.

A Need To Take Project Blue Book For What It Was!

There is no doubt, then, that Project Blue Book – certainly the latter part of its existence – was not primarily concerned with investigating the true nature of UFOs, at least in terms of information available to the public. And while many investigators likely went after each case with a genuine desire to get to the bottom of these strange sightings, the powers-that-be who controlled the project would simply not allow that to happen.

Its place in UFO history, though, remains valid, as long as we see it and take it for what it was. On the one hand, at least to begin with, it took the investigation of UFO sightings – at least some of them – very seriously.

They did, though, even before the powers above shrunk Blue Book down to little more than a propaganda mouthpiece toward the end of its life, stay mostly clear of reports that featured apparent landings and interaction with the alleged extraterrestrial occupants. And while it is perhaps understandable why they might do this, there is a feeling that to do so was a missed opportunity, both to seriously investigate and document such alleged encounters, and to expose the hoaxers at the time before they got any serious traction. Perhaps in many ways, that such people making outlandish claims did get such traction was to the advantage of the military and intelligence agencies.

Given that there are dozens (at the very least) of files missing from the Project Blue Book records, we should perhaps ask ourselves just how many other reports are still to enter the public arena, and if they ever will? And perhaps more distressing for those seeking answers to the UFO and alien question is how many others, through their records being destroyed or them simply not being reported, will remain unknown?

The fact that so many Blue Book cases do still officially remain unexplained, combined with the many very questionable explanations offered for some of the “solved” encounters, should alert us all to the fact that something strange is going on in the skies overhead, and has been for decades.

The short video below examines the possibility of UFOs and alien life.