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Chapter Four: Early Case Reports (1947-1952)
The beginning of the Cold War era was extremely volatile. The world took breath as it stepped back from a second catastrophic war in less than a century, one that had resulted in the creation and deployment of the most dangerous weapon of mass destruction ever created. As a direct consequence of this deadly climate, the national security state was established within the United States (U.S.). This after all wasn’t a time for spilling the technological secrets of national security, this was a time to ensure the U.S. and her allies didn’t face annihilation through nuclear winter. You might understand why the existence of ‘Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena’ (UAP) technology would be classified under the circumstances. In order to understand how we, as a people, have handled the radical UAP issue, we must also understand ourselves as a society from within that timeframe. Maybe to understand the post war anomalous phenomena we must understand the conditions that nurtured it? Can we consider ourselves as separate from UAP? Should we include our social psychology and our changing culture into how we perceive this strange phenomenon?
A brief history of the anomalous
A brief history of the anomalous Going back to the Second World War and beyond, UAP wasn’t in mainstream textbooks, literature, or academic textbooks. The anomalous phenomena was wiped clean from our collective conscious mind as though it simply didn’t exist. To find anything at all on reports about ‘Unidentified Flying Objects’ (UFOs), one had to delve deep into the fringe and pseudoscientific realms of inquiry from where it has long been relegated. This issue was there, it did exist, but it was held in private UFO research books and on the less than reliable internet blog posts and sketchy 90s themed websites. We might argue that this part of history was buried by our collective subconscious, preventing any distracting correlation and examination. After all, in the early Cold War era America and Europe had a world to rebuild, a nuclear technology to protect and a very hostile Soviet Union to contend with. And then of course, there was ‘the others’ – the anomalous. Those strange unknowns that didn’t just appear during the Second World War, some have suggested the reports stem back throughout human history in various patterns, cultures and appearances. Some have argued modern day religions stem from the phenomenon. But we need to be careful about imposing speculation and limited data as self-evident truths. The anomalous phenomena’s definitive distinction and origin have been critically debated since the late 1940s, and rightly so due to a lack of reliable information.
However, what is important is that the reports of this anomalous technology increased dramatically during the end of the Second World War. Whether this was the phenomena changing its very appearance to match human culture (as some have suggested) or whether this was the start of something completely new and ‘alien’ to us, is still the biggest mystery behind UAP. We still do not know the answers. What we can state, almost certainly, is that the anomalous phenomena is reactive to human beings, our development of atomic energy and to our nuclear weapons of mass destruction. It has led many to suggest that the sudden appearance of UAP in mass numbers was no coincidence, that possibly, they came as a reactionary effect of human’s newfound ability to self-annihilate Earth in a nuclear winter. To fully understand the phenomenon’s behaviour, it was important to look back at what was occurring in those important years. What are we missing? What could have triggered such a wave of activity during the war and then dramatically increased it afterwards as well? What could the data tell us? What happened in that timeframe? What was significant for humans?
After the war had ended in 1945, the collective human psyche was in transition. Hitler was dead, Nazi Germany had been defeated, their taken land returned to the people, their armies dismantled, and their technology and scientific minds extracted to the West and secretly placed into classified programs. Wernher von Braun’s infamous long-range missile, the V2 rocket, that devastated London and other European targets during the blitz, was the prized advanced weaponry that would be interjected deep within classified military programs. It is rumoured that the Department of Energy (DoE) was involved due to their oversight over the Manhattan Project. The captured missile technology was tested over at the White Sands testing range from 1946-1951 and would even lead to the creation of the Apollo rockets that would take the America to the moon in 1969. The development of atomic energy alongside the attainment, absorption, and application of advanced Nazi technology propelled the United States into becoming the world’s first superpower. We might argue that America’s rise to power came through capture, development and ‘reverse-engineering’ of advanced foreign technologies. That was the formula, and it worked.
The early cases
The first major American wave of ‘Flying Disc’ anomalous activity occurred primarily in 1947, the data is there from the Airforce’s Project Bluebook to clarify this. However, there are ‘disc-cases’ in the literature go back to 1946 and even1945 alongside the ‘Foo-Fighters’. Additionally, there are other ‘flap areas’ or ‘waves’ that go back further, but here we focus on the modern era ‘Flying Disc’ waves which have been documented by John Keel and Jacques Vallee. What is still unclear, are the specific conditions that created an ‘anomalous wave’ of UAP as they took to the skies in the 1940s. Why was there a significant influx of reports over that period (June to July in the years 1947 and 1952 for example), which occurred within certain global geographical areas, with certain types of UAP (although not all exactly similar). Also, we can ask why not in other areas (other countries, states of the U.S.) and not at other times? Why did UAP waves occur in certain years with such intensity? What were the contributing conditions for this? What did the data suggest? Without official government involvement and academic research within peer reviewed journals from established institutions, we have instead been left with amateur research. From 1947 to 1969, a total of 12’618 sightings were reported to the three programs, of these 701 remain ‘Unidentified’. Data from Project Bluebook showed an embarrassment of cases in which witnesses reported ‘Flying Saucers/Discs’ that displayed behavioural patterns – patterns which didn’t make any sense. There are many questions about the anomalous’ psychology, their thought process, attitudes and intentions which lead into behaviours, which we will examine in later chapters. Consequently, it is important to firstly examine the contextual cases as they present prior to ‘psycho-analysing’ the anomalous’ psychology of intention and behaviours.
A snapshot of early cases
An interesting case taken from Project Bluebook reported that on the 18th of October of 1948, a series of silver ‘Flying Discs’ were sighted (1) by an unnamed Major and his wife, alongside their 8yr old daughter at his home in Honolulu, Hawaii. The UAP travelled in a north-eastern direction at approximately 10’000 feet and made no noise, and displayed no signatures (exhaust, flames, etc). Another case, taken from a 1967 report (2), examined UAP encounters from the year 1947. The report cited case number 237 (taken from Project Bluebook). On Friday, 04th of July, not far from Twin Falls in the state of Idaho, a man by the name of A.E. Mitchel was one of seven witnesses to report a group of ‘disc-like’ objects flying west in a V-formation overhead at around 14:50 hours. The unidentified objects were reported to be flying at high speed across the sky. Then, ten minutes later another nine to ten objects were reported as flying overhead, these objects gained altitude quickly but unlike the first wave, were not in a “well-defined formation” whilst climbing.
Another case (3) was from the 28th of April, 1949. In this interesting case, a civilian and his family witnessed six objects in the sky, then after a few more minutes they witnessed another four objects traveling in the same direction. The individual then writes that he would be available for contact about the flying discs/saucers, and he would provide more details. Location within the U.S. was not disclosed.
Another interesting encounter report documented a mass sighting, case – 734. On the 08th of July, 1947, a few hundred witnesses on Catalina Island (off Long Beach, west coast of America) witnessed six disc-shaped objects travel overhead (2). Reportedly, various military men including Army Air Corps veterans Bob Jung, Kenneth Johnson and Alvio Russo. Bob Jung, an early 1947 witness whose testimony is included in Project Bluebook, stated that the flying behaviour of the “Flying Discs” were in formation with, “…two elements, of three each”. Jung reports that the formation “…came in from the northeast and then completely disappeared over the hills to the south of Avalon Bay.” There are hundreds and thousands of these types of cases, all of which were compacted into geographical areas, all specifically compacted into timeframes from 1947-1952. Same ‘Saucer-type’ vehicles or ‘Flying Discs’, same behaviours, same advanced abilities, same mysterious journey to somewhere. Never did the UAP attack people like in the movies, never did they land on the White House Lawn and demand to ‘take me to your leader’ like in some 1950s sci-fi movie plot. They, whatever ‘they’ are, simply flew from place to place as if they had some goal to achieve, some mission to complete, almost as if they have what we humans know as intentions. Sometimes they pretend like we aren’t even here, sometimes they would take notice of us and our aircraft and semi-engage, even follow for a moment, much like a wasp might fly over to us and buzz around us before leaving. Ultimately, they seemingly weren’t really interested in us. We and them, are on different levels of existence.
Whilst looking through the old reports, one of the things that was most striking was the quantitative report presented by Bloecher, T. (1967) which was titled, ‘Report on the UFO wave of 1947,’ (2). This detailed report showed sighting reports taken from June 15th – July 15th 1947. The Bloecher report is a brilliant piece of quantitative data that examines the 1947 wave. A statistical graph used within, shows a steady incline of reports that climaxes around the 6-7th of July with well over 100 reports from each of those days. This was also the timeframe that the alleged Roswell crashes were reported to have happened. Consider that for a moment -100 reports per day of ‘Flying Discs’ that climaxed in a reported crash landing in New Mexico desert, not too far from White Sands testing range.
‘The Modern UFO era’
Ufology considers the start of the modern UFO era (1947-2017) as beginning with Kenneth Arnold who flew over mount Rainer, Washington on the 24th of June, 1947. Obviously, this case wasn’t the start of UAP being present in the skies, but it was the first time the phenomena had seriously come into public awareness. Whilst flying, pilot Kenneth Arnold was reported to have witnessed nine bright, flying saucer-like objects flying at incredible speeds at ten thousand feet. Arnold would describe them moving like ‘Saucers’ skipping on the water. The shape of the craft that Arnold saw was not the typical ‘Flying Saucer’ shape we know from movies and books. Instead they were almost like a ‘crescent-moon’ type of shape. However, the term ‘Flying Saucer’ stuck from that point onwards as a description for the anomalous craft people started seeing. For me the interesting takeaway of the Arnold sighting, was that for the very first time the public started to accept the concept of UFOs like at no other point previously. Even the ‘Foo-Fighter’ cases from the Second World War hadn’t become common knowledge. Not like this.
The other noteworthy point, was that the nine objects flew controlled (skipping like saucers) and that they flew in formation – a behavioural theme would come to be associated with many of the early sightings from within Project Bluebook. What we can also be aware of is behavioural patterns, which are there in older cases. Patterns of flight behaviour and intelligent control is why we need to look at UAP case reports closely to fully understand behaviour and maybe intention. What they do, or don’t do, can tell us information about the psychology of anomalous phenomena. Thus the early cases are paramount for this, given this was the period of high activity.
What can we take from the early cases?
Arguably, the early cases are key to this mystery, but one which we might not be able to fully unlock. Such cases are at a time in history when people were happy to report what they saw, without the stigma, without the hoaxes or debunking which would eventually follow in later years. The cases (1947-1952) are raw, a snapshot, a genuine glimpse into an overt anomalous wave. These cases can tell us things about the behaviour patterns and abilities of the anomalous phenomena should we take the time to really investigate. Let’s look at the patterns from case reports in Projects Sign/Grudge/Bluebook (1948-1969). ‘Flying Discs/Saucers’ would be reported in multiple numbers across that time period and observed in groups flying at high-speed overhead in specific directions. They are reported to be shaped in a way that is not aerodynamic – they have no tails, wings, exhausts. They are a silver/grey colour – a colour we humans associate with metal. The ‘Flying Disc’ was often described differently, but still classed under a similar shape. Sometimes the reports would be made from locations near to the coast or to bodies of water.
The 1967 Bloecher report (2) that intervened upon specific case reports made between June 15th and July 15th 1947 is important. The report showed that there is a peak in the activity of an anomalous wave. We have thousands of ‘differently similar’ reports, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of variations of a specific shape and type. Case after case in which strange, oddly shaped vehicles that can defy the current understanding of propulsion physics, somehow appear from nowhere and then disappear off someplace just as mysteriously. And they come in waves. What does that mean? It means that UAP build up to a certain point and then recedes, much like the Doppler effect or even an infection. It suggests that whatever this anomalous phenomena is, it follows a pattern, something about it or some external force dictates its behaviour. Even if we consider a consciousness of intent, the anomalous are bound by a desire to carry out its occupation. But why? What’s the point of it? Does it have a mission? To fly around in groups during a wave, always heading off to a certain place but never seemingly getting there. Are we only witnessing bit-parts of the UAP journey? Are they coming down from space or out from the oceans on some mysterious mission?
There are occasional reports with Ufology that UAP have landed in remote locations around the world, often somewhere not populated by human consciousness. Sometimes, during these landing cycles, the UAP occupants will encounter one maybe two people, but not for a long period of time or to allow people to gather good evidence of it. The phenomenon likes to hide itself nicely on the edge of our consciousness, it flies at low/high altitude and never hovers over a shopping mall for a few hours. It always evades our civilian efforts to identify it as unidentifiable. We are instead left with not enough information to prove to the world that this is something else, and consequently, we are left with major questions. Questions that limited snapshot data simply will not provide us with answers. Was there a link between a concentrated ‘anomalous wave’ of activity and possible UAP crashes? And if so, why did the potential activity reduce (Doppler effect) after the alleged climatic crashes – such as with Roswell in 1947? We must question the quality of data received and not assume it’s accuracy as conclusive. We simply don’t know if this was the spike, and if there were other cases that weren’t reported that change the climax of the ‘wave’ to another timeframe. And obviously, we can’t assume the crash retrieval case of Roswell was a genuine UAP, despite the good multiple testimony that would suggest it was.
The theoretical concepts are interesting if nothing more.
Multiple variations in older cases
In the 1970 book, ‘Trojan Horse’, Keel emphasises the different types of ‘UFOs’ from ‘Flying Cubes’, ‘Discs’, and ‘Triangles’ to ‘Multi-coloured Cigars’ and ‘Transparent Flying Jellyfish,’ (5). The variations of multiple UAP are beyond strange. The multiple variations of the classic ‘Flying Disc’ are the most interesting. As Keel states in his research into earlier cases – there are some UFOs with wheels, wings, antennas, pointed domes and flat domes. It is this variation which is a unique part of this mystery. But what are the explanations for this? Does human misconceptions and faulty memory account for all the very different and specific case details? Additionally, how are all these UAP seemingly able to deploy some format of the same technology? (the AATIP five observables). Keel documents another ability, that of ‘Temporary Transmogrification,’ which we refer to in this series as a ‘trans-morphic’ technological ability. In theory, these anomalously unidentified phenomena have control of reality at the quantum level, they can change shape, size, colour at will, whilst moving through our skies. Are they quantum shapeshifters? If the anomalous can change or create their physical appearance at will, does that explain the multiple variations of unidentified vehicles? Or are there hundreds and hundreds of different objects coming from multiple origin sources? We still must be sceptical, as essentially, we don’t have good data to verify this UAP ability, yet.
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Conclusions
The very early ‘UFO’ cases tell us that ‘Flying Discs’ existed in concentrated waves – almost as though a doorway was opened for them to pass freely back and forward between worlds/universes/dimensions. Could this ‘wave’ theory be an adequate explanation for the ‘Many Worlds’ theory – that many different things are coming from the multi-verse and that explains why there is so much variation of UAP within the given waves. Or does the UAP case data show us that the phenomenon is one-thing – one intelligence – and that this thing can change itself into many variations of whatever it desires. The Trojan Horse theory needs much more consideration, and scrutiny. The early case data gives us clues as to the patterns of UAP origin, however, we are hindered by the reliability of data and missing information which might take us in a completely different direction. Now at least, we are starting to ask some interesting questions.
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References
(1). Fold-3. ‘Project Bluebook. Case Report: Honolulu Flying Disc. 1948.’ | Ancestry. Available at: https://www.fold3.com/image/6387918 [Accessed 26 Oct. 2022].
(2). Bloecher, T. (1967). Report on the UFO wave of 1947. | University of Arizona. Available at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c0fe5673c3a5343f2f06538/t/5e5ba4a2bcd48e5c8c442c21/1583064258132/Report_on_the_UFO_wave_1947.pdf [Accessed 26 Oct. 2022].
(3). Fold-3. ‘Project Bluebook. Case Report: Flying Discs. 1949’. | Ancestry. Available at: https://www.fold3.com/image/6309694?terms=saucer [Accessed 26 Oct. 2022].
(4). Fold-3. ‘Project Bluebook. Case Report: Flying Discs. 1948.’ | Ancestry. Available at: https://www.fold3.com/image/6388148i [Accessed 26 Oct. 2022].
(5). Keel, J. (1970). Operation Trojan Horse: The Classic Breakthrough Study of UFOs. | Anomalist Books.
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