UAP Reported at Sandia Base, 1948-1950

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To :
Lt . Colonel Doyle Rees -
Po.ge 4
Subj :
Anonalous Luminous Phenomena (Seventh Rerort)
Eay 23 , 1950
consider ·t;he most probable explanation of t he green fireballs ~o 1)e ·;;he
one e;iven in the first of the three parat;ra··hs be 1.m·, ,ihioh are quoted
from my letter of 1950, February 20 , to Dr. P . H. ·.i"yc}wff , Cliief .,·..t:,1os­
pheric Physics Laboratory , Base Directorate for Ceophys:..cal Researc:1.
The last two pan1{;r aphs quoted. beloY1 \'lell summarize rrr;/ r ecommendatic,:1.s
concerninc the green fireball problem:
nAs a preli minary to settinc; down the project recommend....tions
which you ,requested , I have very carefull-r r eviev;ed all uvaile.')le
fireball data ( observers I reports , transit measv.r e:nents , calculated
real paths , etc . ) coverin3 incidents from those of Dcce~ber 5 , 1948
to the extraordinary incident of Febr uary 7 , 1950, ,1hich ;-,as been
under intensive investi~ation for the J.e..st two week:: .
As a result
of this compre'.'lensive review , particuln.1·1~, as it relates to the in­
cident of Februar y 7, 1950, I feel con!pe lled to write you in some­
what different terms concernini::; my mm part in the proposed f ireball
project than I had in mind \'/hen we last discussed thi s matter .
In
brief , I have come to the cone]. usion that , on the be.sis of t l~e
evidence now available to me , I Y1oulc', not te jus·:;ified in r eco:rm ,end­
ing a. firebe.11 project.
In ~' opir..ion , this evicieace proves conclu­
sively that the fireballs reported on fall i nto one of t,::o catescrics:
Those of the fir st category ( ·the 1'1ajority ) are mcteori"i:e i'alls of
unusual , but certainly not of impossible , ma~~nit
1J.de , frequency c.nd
other characteristics ; t )1osc of the second ca-~egory ( tne minority)
are u. S . guided missiles undergoin~ tests i n the nei~~borhoods of
th0 sens:'..tive installations t'.1ey a.re desi'.:;ned to def'e;_1-d .
This
interpretat:i.on of the latter category is the one t~1e.t I p r oposed in
answer t o a qv.estic>n raised by Dr . 'i'eller a.t the first Los i'.lc~':los
conference on r'ebn:.ary 1 7 , 19"49.
It ,.ms not ta!cen seriously then
and I doubt tha.t i·c viill be tal:en seriously a·t tl~e present time .
However , even if my interpretation of t;te t:nconventione..l £'ireralls
is the correct one , it is obvious t'.1.at ·chose in posi-l:;ior. t o con!'inn
it should r efuse ~o do so .
11
"Only one cthc.r point need be str essed , namely, that if I nm
v1rong in interpretin co: the ;;uided missiles r.s ot U. S . ori:;in , t'.1cr..
certo.inl~r intensive , systo!Tlatic i nvesti ~:ation of t!:ose objects
should not be delayed until the termine.i;ion o-..' tiHi pr csen-~ aca.ci..,rn;ic
year .
Recent international devclopr:0nts cOJ;:pel ono to sense ·";he
imperative necessity of i mmediate investieation of the unconvent:i.on­
e.l green fireballs , in c?.se yo1..:. are in ,·1osscssio·.·, of i nfcr:nation
proving that t:b.ey are not U. S . miss:'..les .
11
11 If such ::.n immediate investir;a·l;ion uere to be undcr tc.J.:cr. , I
would r eco:r;:;iend t:1at Dr . Fred. L. -,fhipple , of Earvurd Collo~e Obsc;r­
vator y , be placed i.n charge of the pl:otoGraphic !)Lase of -tLe inves­
tigation ; the.t Dr . Pe·t;er ::,. lhllman , of t he Dominion Observa>tory,
be placed in charge of tl1e spectrographic ~,hase of the investi::-.1.:.-cion ;
NW 91526
COf'1FIOEPcJTIAL