PROJECT BLUE BOOK

UNCLASSIFIED es

HEADQUARTERS THIRD ARMY YL

ea

AJACI-$ 360.385 27 July 1950
SUBJECT: Unconventional Aircraft

;

‘
TO : Commanding General
Air Materiel Command
Wright-Patterson Air Foroe Base

Dayton, Ohio
Attention: MCI (Control No. A-1917)

Inclosed herewith is report re flying object seen near
Spartanburg, South Carolina, 22 July 1950.

FOR THE COMMANDING GENERAL:

1 Inols
Rpt dtd 24 July 50

re “Ejying Thing"
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McCullough at Random
; Flying Something Seen Saturday

Reporter S-es
Flying ‘Thing’

y hesitated to use the words
saucers. But Vernon
and his bride. Betty,

morning that

ney saw something while watch-

a drive-in movie Saturday

seemed to sur- : .
round it and oh)
gradually dissi- ALEX M'CULLOUGH

ey watched.
THEIR VISION was supported
@ control-tower operator at
who told The

‘ a Ty gh ob nad

sighted from there. Specula-
tion was that it possibly could be
@ planet, but nobody was sure.
There

were no reports of dirigi-

EVEN THE Communists are
ughing at some “ ae Coeenun-

ganda efforts, re-
ports. e Voice of America has

poking fun in a slapstick
‘at Moscow attempts to
convince Soviet people that Amer-
ica dropped potato bugs on Com-

munist lands.
Now it is reported that the
Communist potato bug propa-

anda has produced more jokes in
Grechoslovekia than it has bugs.

' AND HERE'S one from INS that

Vernon Gwynne, a Spartanburg
Journal reporter, today turned in
a story for the newspaper that he
got unexpectedly while attending
a show turday night at the
Starlite Drive-in Theater on the
Asheville Highway with his wife,
Betty.

It was about a “flying some-
thing” that appeared in the sky
near the theater 3 times within an

hour,
Mr. Gwynne described’ the
a “cloud-like”

“thing” this way:

“I first noticed
formation that was drifting in the
pe direction of the other
clouds. This cloud was very low
and indistinct. I called Betty's at-
tention to it and asked her if she
noticed my Nae peculiar about it.
As we watched it took a more def-
inite shape which was rounded on
the bottom and fairly flat.

“Since we wanted others to be
able to corroborate our story I got
out of the car and asked 2 fellows
in the next car to ‘look up there
and see if, you see what we see?’
By the time they looked the ‘some-
thing’ was gone.

“The second time I saw the cloud

forming in the same place, apper-
ently out of the clear sky. The fel-
lows in the car, Betty and I watch-
ed the shape form in the center of
the ‘cloud.’ After about 2 or 3
minutes ,the shape disappeared
again.

About 30 minutes later all 4 of
us again saw the shape only this
time it was very clearly lighted and

had changed position. We think

the mist or cloud came from with-

in the shape. It is very hard to

| estimate size or distance at night

£0 we hesitate to claim that it was

less than a mile from us and be-

— one and 2,000 feet in alti-
e.

“The color of the rounded bot-
tom was about the same as a re-
flected fire on a silver or white
surface. The size we would esti-
mate to be larger than any dirgible
that we have ever seen.

“During the 3 different times we
saw ‘it’, for a period of probably 8
or 10 minutes over an hours time,
we discussed it and asked each
other how we were going to de-
scribe it. We are convinced that.
| we saw what other people say are
‘Flying Saucers.’”

‘
Clipping from The Spartanburg Journal,
dated 24 July 1950. (Afternoon Fdition)

Svartenburg,

Solr’ Gn ve a laugh to some-
. Justice Tan- fn ‘
Clipping from The Spartunburg Herald

Spurtanourg, %. Ce, dated 24 July 1950.

Morning Edition)

outh Carolina

: ' ’ ,

TO: Chief, Seo & Inv Br FROM: FAO#O, Spartanburg, 24 July 1950
llith CIC Det 8, Cc.

Ft MoPherson, Ga

On 24 July 1950, Mr, Sees, Reporter, Spartanburg Herald
Journal, Spartanburg, S.C. was interviewed in regards to a "FLYING
THING" that was reported seen by him Saturday night, 22 July 1960,
near Spartanburg, 5. C. Mr.qijjmetstated that he and his wife,

Gwyme, were at the Star Light Drive In Theater, which is located North

West of Spartanburg, approximately 3 miles from the city limits on the

Asheville, N.C. highway. They were attending the last show, which

started at apvroximately 2300 hours. They had been sitting in their

oar watohing the picture for only a short while when Mr. Qgiim noticed

an object in the sky which was round, had a bright surface as if a

light was being reflected off it and was an estimated two thousand

(2000) feet in the air. Mr qe stated that he showed the object

to his wife and they both watched it for approximtely 2 minutes

before Mr Ame got out of his automobile and went to the car that

perked next to them to show the object to 2 men occupants of that car,

By that time the object had disappeared; however, only a few minutes

later the object appeared again in the same place. (Mrag@ggliile kept

tract of the object's location by sighting from a light pole which the

object appeared the first and second time just at the top of the pole

and a little to the right) and was observed by Mr. giggumlilip his wife

and the two occupants of the other car for approximately 35 minutes .

before the object disavpeared again. The object appeared a third ss

time a few minutes later and that time it had moved and was considerably

lower and a little more to the right of the position that it was observed

the first and second time. Mremmilfm stated that the third time the

object appeared, the bottom, which was round and the shape of a saucer,

was very brightly illuminated as if the light from a big forest fire

was being reflected from a bright surface suspended in the air. Mr,
~Gegiife stated that each time the object appeared it was surrounded by

a mist or smoke, which he does not believe was a cloud as the sky was

clear and the stars could be seen shining clearly beyond the objeot

on all sides, Mr. ge said that as far as he could determine the

object did not move while it was visible to him and that it appeared

the first and second time in the same spot. The third time it appeared

it had moved and was considerably lower and to the right of the

position it was seen before. Mremiggmmre stated that it was difficult

to estimate its size and altitude, but it appeared to him that the

bottom surface of the object was about two hundred (200) feet in diameter,

was about 2,000 feet altitude and was approximately 1200 yards from where

he was observing it. Mr SP ctated that he did not know what the

object was, but that he had never seen anything like it before and that

UNCLASSIFIED

enn ae

» MBSSESERy pnciassiFied

he, his wife, arid the other 2 observers all agreed that its structural
appearance, ite behavior in the air and ite tremendous site eliminated
its being any aircraft kmown by the 4 of them, or that it could be
® planet and that it was surely not an illusion as it was sem very

‘distinctly by all 4 observers and a discussion as to what it was and

how to describe it later went on for approximately an hour after it

had disappeared the last time. Mr. ggg stated that he did not try

to bring the odject to anyone elses attention, other than the two

men in the car next to him, the first and second time the object appeared
because it was not clearly visible and he thought it was possibly a planet.
The third time it appeared it was so large and looked so weird that his
wife was very frightened and he and the other 2 mm observers agreed that

4t would be best not bring it to the attention of the others as. they were
stated that he was

afraid that it would cause mass hysteria. ltr.
so excited over seeing the object that he did not get the names of the
other 2 men observers and did not know where to locate them. As far as
he knows, no one else at the drive in theater saw the object, however,
a control tower operator, name unkmom, at the Spartanburg Air Port
reported the next morning as having observed a similar object as lir.
dal observed and at approximately the same time. Mr 4gpedoes not
sh to commit himself and say that~the object was definitely something
out of the ordinary, but he bglieves jthat he saw what other people mve
desoribed as Flying Saucers

On 24 July 1950, Mr.. Control Tower Operator,
Memorial Airport, Spartanburg, S.C., was interviewed and stated that
he was on duty in the control tower on “aturdey night 22 July until 2400
hours and that he did not see anything out of the ordinary that night
and did not report having seem anything. Mra? stated that he
saw the article in the newspaper about Mr .g@iggleeing the object,

‘ but he did not know who at the air port could have seen the object

unless it was Mr » also a control tower operator, who
relieved Miggiee'st 2400 hours that night. Mr stated
that Mr @§MMiMeds off duty wtil 1600 hours, Thursday 27 July 1950 and
4s believed to be in Atlanta, Ga., at the present. / (B-2)

REX H. AVERY ,82nd CIC Detachment

NO CASE (Information Only)

Source: L. A Times

MB. he a a ee EE Riki. ce Re ee Oe a a. oo —

FLYING SAUCE
SEEN BY TWO.
VENICE YOUTHS

What was described as a
flying saucer was seen over
enice at 2:30 a.m, yesterday
7 sm Leisher and Rahl
rk, They first noticed it,
they said, “hovering above
Washington and Lincoln !
awe just h ned to be |

“We appe to
driving home,” said Jack, 19,
of 453 Rialto Ave., Venice.
“I looked up and there it
was.”

Rahl, 17, same address,
witnessed = same phe
nomenon, said.

“It seemed to be about
1000 feet high,” said Jack,
“We started chasing it but
it suddenly took off ae Se

‘ — It left a blush

por and was about

oa

L.A. TIMES
ab Tuy 1450

J 1950 a
om po Bg California