PROJECT BLUE BOOK

LLC (i i‘_OSOSOCC = 6 pe ee ome —. <P he

— = —_-— —— + - -

PROJECT 10073 RECORD
' DATE + TIME GROUP ".OCATION eGo

| 20 agus’ 30 2000067" _isteria, \eshinzton area
' SOURCE 10, CONCLUSION

Astro (METEOR)

Civilian
NUMBER OF OBJECTS

Dy Evaluated as a meteor chservaticon.
| LENGTH OF OBSERVATION |11. BRIEF SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
Noh Renorted Object was like a ball of fire, Wuish<erey tail. Three times
a4 : "
TYPE GF GAMBA TEND or faster than jet a/c. Travelled from NE to Sv,

ivound-Visval
COURSE

ST a Pole BS eee et

Sif

PHOTOS

oe OP Se oe ee

3 Yes
“No

PHYSICAL =VIDENCE

ee ee

i Ye. r

‘Ne

FORM
~D sep 63 0-329 (TOE) previous editions of this form may be used.

; canie CH TEES WOE Gene. eee eee ee

Brilliant Meteor Seen

By Many Here Saturday

two

Ww.

———— Te — Aa —— TTT

- « ORMYO

——_—- ee ee ell A

A brilliant meteor seen in broad
daylight was reported by a nuinber
of Tacomans who seemingly were

19.5.0

we ae eee

‘ated Press:""'

eet 8 & oe te oes & Sse
—_— —.

eS — -

!

h

|

of the occurrence by The. Associ-

:

A “ball of fire,” visible even in :

, -ed | Fi
amazed to see such a sight shortly ; the bright noon sunshine, streaked : 7°

after the noon hour Saturday.
Among the callers to The Taco-

ma News Tribune office was Frank | was a meteor.

A, Reda of 5019 So, L, who said he
and four neighbors saw a “silver
streak” that looked like a rocket
going southwest and leaving a trail.
As they watched, it turned down-
ward toward the earth and dis-
appeared.

_E. J. Moran of 9804 American
Ave. S. W., said he saw an oblong
object shoot down behind some

| trees ard he thought it to be a

crashing jet plane.

Others described it in various
terms, some thinking they had
seen a flying saucer, but all here
who saw it were unanimous that

it was going at terrific speed and
appeared luminous even in day-

light.

+ Tacoma, however, was not the
only point of vantage to see the
celestial visitor as it was witnessed

erally over the entire Pacific

‘across Pacific

Northwest skies yes- | WwW
lerday (Saturday). Apparently it m;

| for

It was seen from Salem north Jy
to Seattle, from Ellensburg in cen-
tral Washington to Astoria on the
Oregon coast. ;

It: flashed brilliantly. At Port
Angeles a qvoman said it seemed
brighter than the sun. Some ob-
servers said they even could see
a blue tail. Others thought they
detected silver and red colors on
the fringe. ) wi

A science professor at Lewis and | an
Clark college in Portland, Dr. A. A. | W
Groening said it possibly was a/|en
straggler from the annual perseid | ju!

shooting star display, which was at | th
iis height Aug. 11. ck

It was seen shortly after noon. | in!
A bar pilot at Astoria fixed the | da
lime at 12:06 p. m. there. He |s@
thought it descended toward the| '
ocean northwest of Astoria.

A Seattle astronomer, Mrs. Bror

ert
of

Su
scl
int
th:

we

Grondahl, thought it probably

orthwest. Following is a report
burned itself out before striking | El,
earth. co |

Russian Furs | ae 2

Carried Back 9 Injured

NEW YORK, Aug. 19— P—A
In Callicitan

tri.

shipment of $138,000 worth of Rus-

Sian furs which longshoremen her
, : e
refused to unload Was still aboard

-_-

— EEE a _

rT Quay”, 450

dtd i ae) i ht PL eee ee +

1 g8y BOM thine ae We.
-* Others came nearer ww | « |
ry @ J could that Thi; w.

eve weer thing in the water | '),
z t Stirred it to be the Fetie. tin

or mwmnetning, ‘at 1

had. My ®rother-in-inw ws.
a mametiately wey

& PONE ANd dance ahout fv
at @me angies ane

Fhe smiled and observed
, That ts resting.” 1 drape

the satery a ea hushane

att “over rain.

paper ca

=
i
33

, Mie Lala Emerson, Weyne A. trarderr, Bort F Johecn, |. iy

Co. Patterson, Rabid Hernard D. Rewnherg, dudes Rartiett Renenei

y myself
‘A werk ag0 Saturday | saw
Ss trtting eo siren threw die
Fi I vem to the &, or the first
| Elephants or Fireballs 3: isetusts, eet
EMILY W noon was an imposubslity; Ot iD beach home "Sy niece end het
wren’ wea 5 years TAY | there was no such thing a6 & Stray father were om the other side of
her took my sister and m@ to |elephant, especially one adorned ‘he [lost getting the cance inio the
mity k te trees peflected darkly inie the
born and raised. One incident of | the cierhamt winea my aries orem wit wen whowt 12:15 p.m, Some

u a . ,

is at baw Inttuenced mY 06a HiT Be Salat erlang thine fase then te “eats

Emil - E ‘es Can Spot sttange ughts | heave seen since
7 ein many pears. 1 wae sitting
(0 @ Tina, taking the sun
Pf li, = ater, | was gazing varuousty inte
Pee ee aT ee ame ae Se? ae hed ton Til iorece lowerd share where the
i with entrtivvane speed, It a
We were riding home from @ pic- vd a pe ag wa ng Strange peared to be «4 firey hall, about t

sunny afternoon, along eweurred teface my ' re af & solft-hell, and streaming
sicountry road, bordered by leide tree hike the Pidert etrural «ith besind 1 eas @ luminous vaporous
ri comm and luxuriant le ione heart whom i sem ane might tail For once | had seen some
Teen me & As we rounded a alone the highway, madiy pedaling
ve

sae aie We dee es amcted lm yore et tectum fem

u
Z
;
“
:
z

\lv’s lack @f imagination and ther knowiedce. «

home, I wes toting my greek
sieaye crowd | grandmother, in @ presence .
be comes toithnse who had been along, about

a or trailiwhat we had done on the picnic. &
cakes grandly |where we had eaten and what we
had for lunch. As an added bit of

before thelinterest I mentioned having seen

~ him, m0 |that. ‘You know you didn see AS.
rtale elephan a rae 2
‘ re had This from. my ther enn}

been sitting beside me in the
egy. “Mother, I did tom, din’
you sre it that oid Darn tl” OF
course me, wg iang a ee
1 others Wi
song. “It couldn't have deen an
elephant, there is ne circus &.th.5
a hundred miles of &-'+ i was)
crushed. No one te wi fre. °:
didnt care whether an e'endar’ s |
iplesence in a fied ows te Soy ns
learsant,

ee _,..and at the

haa ~— - head of a
niece tied oO art @ne.':
winerd, voicing fo dowm 1 ns,

ter on shore 1 ie.

sald, “at
ban) you write a letier te th
ve n wee the

didn
we at he neta unit ‘Mien.

to
ey. > for two days 1 went about
punning my sricvance
‘the ‘paper come. bey? ‘Oe
front page was the story of tne
of had

on shorily after noon, |
rede oul into ine. kitchen where

the family wae onee et the Sun-|
triumphant en

the wey the table, Phere.

# enid I. tab OY iS meteor in nore
e ec

aid il. “All these 7 ae | peateon
amily went hack to the roast with, to list

4,
be
m7

Th |

t-

A ree wy,
ot tthe 4
ihe wa
is
Muto
Shes
Wete ty
rancel
rents
‘eyenth
Nation
Anns
she «4
weerets
af the
» make,
j reeret

ple to
| since,

Ree “Whe Aun t emity, vom aa | re

Feather exenciee. ft te ciaht, standing, Capt. T. 1 Retes, Sem Theredill, | saenatts ; !

Long, Dea W. Pastveld end terh Weet. ated, Reaell Ariens, wish ! Ned oova OF a the peo- et
dd (chairman) ned Ruel! C. Martow. Aterat members mot sheen are

ane. fot ar a eel *Stetement by Boord of Cour

ow | appointing Doug Morris as Con
e wore a houda. 1 waan't satiog that 1 am iy bright seucer. However, in case the f sails
rileularly surprised i= 1 ne Sanit to get bv, o wey om thal oy on it yy eome . (Para as

Ne time Alter we hing arrived (centric, f Rave mept_ me

ae | ty elles ooked sarted. “Sa, : Chevrolet alone

witle and wor

i.

TY

THOR 6. TOLLEFSON COMMITTEE:

— Congress of the United States aaa
Bouse of Representatives
Washington, B. C.

July 21, 1958

Dr. Ae Francis Arcier
Scientific Advisor
Air Technical Intelligencer Center
United States Air Force
ee Air Force Base,

°

Dear Dr. Arcier:

How very kind you have been to me in
taking sated very valuable time to investigate and
report back to me so fully regarding what I really
sau reflected in Puget Sound on that bright August
day in 1950. | |

Never in my life had I heard of a fireballt
Now I feel superior to my friends in that not only
do I know what one is, but also I am among the few
hgh pe to have seen one. In addition, I can,
rom now on, stand apart from my contemporaries,
having elicited the cooperation of an eminent scientist.

With your permission, I shall use a substantial
art of your letter in my weekly Sunday column to the
acoma (Wash.) News Tribune, probably next week. I shall

send you a clipping.

Again, many thanks, Dr. Arcier. I feel it was a
great privileg e to have met. you and I ly hope
our paths may "senshow brike us

c Relations Assistant

ENW:ej

24 July 1958

espe AEE IE
Public Relations Assistant

Office of The Honorable Thor C. Tollefson
6th District, Washington
House of Respresentatives

Washington, D.C.

Dear Mrs. Walker:
Thank you very much for your kind letter of 21 July.

The information given you is in no way classified, so there is
no objection to your using it in your regular Sunday column.

I will be very glad indeed to receive a clipping.
Sincerely,

A. FRANCIS ARCIER
Scientific Advisor

———— cc

me coaleheitn, CosPuyoa 20 Jub $8

AFCIN-AEL

ae...

Office of the Honorable Thor C, Tollefsca
6th District, Washin;ton

House of Representatives
Washington, D.C,

Dear Miss Valker:

Here is my reply to your letter of 27 Jme 1958 regarding an
of people in the
Tacoma area and other parts of Washington on the 20th of Aucust 1950

|
1
:
|

Our records indeed indicate that there was a UWPO reported from
Washington State, and at precisely this time on 20 August 1950, Our
records of investigation and analysis indicate the following:

@ The object was a seldom-seen phenomenon, a bolide, as it is
referred to in scientific terminology, Bolides, more camonly
known as “firebelis" are a form of meteorite,

b. The earth was just passing through the Perseids, an annual
meteoric shover, at that tine,

©, The identity of the object was confirmed by the independent
reviews of private scientists,

A point of explanation is in order here, Miggieto clorify
things, Fireballs, unlike emaller meteorites, generally do not burn up
in the earth's upper atmosphere, but remain intact os a larce, glowing
mass until they disintegrate at lower levels or strike the earth, These
bodies scem to appear more often during meteoric showers, hecords
indicate that the majority of people never see one in their lifetime,
ené an encounter with one can indced be a startling experience,

ZI need hardly state that a large number of cbservers are still
firmly unconvinced that the object was a "fireball,"

May I-acain thank you for the courtesies extended the Air Force
representatives, and for your sincere interest and understanding in the

matter,
Sincerely yours,
2 Inclsa: A, FRANCIS ARCIER
i, Cys, Data fru Scientific Advisor
Case Files
@, Excerpt frm Tech
Journal, U, of Pa,
on Fireballs &
Meteor Trains
COOBDINATION:
AFCIN-MEbg CE
AFCIN-LE) DATE

ry
i

+}
\~

2 July 1958

Pd
.

Public caegal | anes

Office of the Honorable Thor C, Tollefson
6th District, Washington
House of Representatives

Washington, D.C,
Dear Miss Walker:

I was very glad indeed to get your letter of the 27th of June.
As a matter of fact, I had been looking for it.

I have had the investigation of this particular case started,
and I will, as soon as possible, send you the findings,

I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation
for the very courteous treatment which we received from your
entire group.

Sincerely yours,

A, FRANCIS ARCIER
Scientific Advisor

ee

\ “THOR 6. TOLLEFSON committee:
si ia hn Congress of the Wnited States ames
Mouse of Representatives
Washington, B. €.
. June 27, 1958

¥,
%
ay

Dr. Francis Arcier

ATIC

Wright Patterson Airforce Base
Ohio

Dear Dr. Arciers

Perhaps you will remember me as being the only woman who was
present at the briefing in which you participated on June
20, in the office of Congressman John E,. tienderson of Ohio.
I was there representing Congressman Tollefson who was

-out of tom.

You will find enclosed photostatic copies of tw articles
which appeared in the Tacoma, Washington News Tribune &
Sunday Ledger, These give the details in regard to the
incident I related to you after the briefing session.

The Article which appeared August 20, 1950, was printed the
day following the one gne_sa when I wrote the article
Which appeared a week later.

You very kindly offered to look back in the files and try

to determine for me what if any record and/or explanation

the Airforce has on this incident. I shall be looking forward
to hearing from you on this matter,

ic Relations Ass't

Ne ee ee eee

‘el -