PROJECT BLUE BOOK

PROJECT 10073 RECORD
1. DATE - TIME GROUP LOCATION

7 April 1950 08/0255z Besten, Massachusetts
3. SOURCE 10. CONCLUSION

Civilian Other(Inversien effects)

= inewn ov Sanwere Ice clouds and thin cirrus cleuds. Distortion ef natural
One phenomena/lights from unknown source, 1

5S. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION /11. BRIEF SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS

20 minutes ele 00 - — west ebserverd by tewer eperater through
Be shape visible, juat a light. Blurred edges,
+ ee ere Movement from SE te NE at speed ef conventienal A/C. Coler
ground visual changed from Blues to White. Changed back to blue and separat
inte two distinct blue lights. These twe lights rotated a roun¢
each other. Increawed elevatien from 15 degr at initial
sighting to 45 deg elevatien . Ice cleuds arpd inversion in dre

6. PHOTOS

O Yes
R No

9 PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

0 Yes
Noe

FORM
FTD sep 63 0-329 (TDE) previous editions of this form may be used.

- yo” ER cc — 4 ‘

The undersigned is employed as a watch supervisor
in the Civil Aeronautics Administration Control Tower at Logan International
Airport, Boston, Kass. On the night of April 7, 1950 I was on duty in the

Tower, Also sent on d in the r were the following controllers;
and allemployed by the CAA
and all holders of current a Airport — Controller Ratings.

The weather at 2130 E.S.T. was measured 16,000
overcast, visibility fifteen plus, temperature 38, dew point 13. wind northeast
29 with strong guste. altimeter 29.99. The gusts were going to 43 mph.

At approximately 2155 E.S.T. I noticed a light
due west of the Tower which caught my attention because of its unconventional
color, a deep blue. I focused binoculars on the light to dtermine what aircraft
would be showing so worthodox a light. Even through the glasses the object
appeared to have no clearly definable mass and seemed to consiadt of merely
an eliptoid pattern of light blurred at the edges and deep blue in color. It
was moving in a path from southwest to northeast at what seemed to be a convent~-
ional rate of sppdd. I could not determine its altitude but it was about 15
degrees above the horison sky when I first saw it. As I continued watching
the light changed from deep blue to a sharply distinct white, At this point I
summoned the %ther controllers who verified what I was seeing in the glasses,
By this time the light had again gone to the deep blue color originally noted.
As we watched,the single blue light appeare d to dissolve into two blue lights
which then began to revolve around one another in the manner of two small
serschlights at play. During this process their trajectory took them from
fifteen to forty five degrees above the horizon. I was about to accept the
lights as being two searchlights that someone was playing around with in :
spite of the absence of any beams and in spite of the ceiling height which |
precluded a "spot"; when one of the blue lights passed from southwest to northeast
on a horizontal course. I used the ceilometer light northwest of the Tower
as a fixed base reference point and the object now showing all white passed
the light in what appeared to be a conventional flight path and at a conventional
rate of speed,The object was lost 4n the northeast. An immediate check was
made with both Squantum and Bedford Towers to ascertain if they had any traffic
reported in our area, the only reported traffic in the area was on base leg
in the landing pattern at Bedford, While this check was being made, an object
of DEFINITE MASS was observed suidenly, glowing red like a molten mass of
metal and remaining visible for about 10 to 15 seconds. Again this was at
about 2rfteen forty five degrees above the horizon sky. Eastbound Northeast
658 was approaching from Bedford to lend at Boston the pilot, ~\
was requested to make a wide approach to see if he co see anything unusual '
in the area between the fiaad and ten or so miles west. His report was
completely negative. The time encompassed bewteen the moment when the lights
E nag first seen and their final disappearance was from approximtely 2155 to

E.S.T.

In evaluating the experience, the undersizned
rigorously(and with misgiving) explored the possibility of the incident being
subjective, but the fact that four of us saw the same thing would seem to
minimize this possibility. VOWNGRADED AT 8 sana ail

DECLASSIFIED ATER 12 YRS os!”
DOD DIR 520.10

2 ow yy f/f
» ts f/f

—
vo VASSIFIED

Having accepte d to a reasonable degree the objectivity

of the experience I tried to explain it in accef#ptable natural teums. That what
I had seen was an aircraft of any type or characteristic known to me was not
admissible. I learned to fly in 1936 and have been aviation ever since that time,
graduated from the Air Force Intelligence school in 1942, served in the Southwest
ific as a Squadron Commander and director of air support for 5th Air Force

or two years, graduated from the short course at the Air Gommand and Staff School
Air Univerity in 1949, and am currently Deputy “roup Commander of an Aircraft
Control and Warning Group in the Air National Gward with the rank of Lt. Colonel,
I think it is a not unreasonable assumption that I am relatively familiar with
aircraft types and capabilities,

In examining the possibility of searchlights being
responsible I was forced to discard that theory because twice I had seen mass,
Once when the object was glowing white and passing the ceilometer and again
when it glowed cherry red. Furthermore the ceiling was measured at 16,000 feet
and any searchlight powerful enough to cast a spot on the cloud base at that
height must surely show a definition of beam,

The only solution which seemed acceptable to me,
and I still do not know whether it is tenable, is that what we saw may have been
stellar coronae or some other luminous hydrometeor,. With strong winds on the
surface and aloft, the overcast(a thin one) was moving at a tremendous tate of
speed. A Pan American Clipper inbound from overseas had reported an hour earlier
that he had picked up a heavy load of ice in descending thrpugh the overcast,

80 apprently the overcast was filled with ice crystals. Although not cpmpletlgy
satisfactory an anawer this theme did not eliminate the possibility that what
- witnessed was a meteorological phenomena of a sort with which we were not
amiliar,.
For obvious reasons no formal report ‘of this

incident was made to any source. With so many reports rampant develpping
from irresponsible or hysterical sources, one hesitates to solicit ridicule,
but in view of th close similarity of what I witnessed and what has been seen

by others elsewhere, I feel it encumbent to submit this report in spite of
that risk.

DOWNGR ADRD AT 3 bon ‘BOON riF are,
DECLASSIFIED AFTER 12 Vith ts tS
DOD DIR 6200.10 ‘

UNCLASSiF ig):

ee ee ae