Page Content (OCR)
40 How low it had been while hovering over Godman, and during Mantell's chase, there was no way to determine. But all the evidence pointed to a swift ascent after Mantell's last report. Pentagon and asked for a full transcript of the flight leader's radio messages. I got a quick turn-down. The reports, I was told, were still classified as secret. Requests for pictures of the P-51 wreckage, and for a report on the condition of Mantell's body, also drew a blank. I had heard that some photographs were taken of the Godman Field saucer from outside the tower. But the Air Force denied knowledge of any such pictures. Puzzling over the riddle, I remembered John Steele, the former Intelligence captain. If by any chance he was a plant, it would be interesting to suggest the various answers and watch his reaction. When I phoned him to suggest luncheon, Steele accepted at once. We met at the Occidental, on Pennsylvania Avenue. Steele was younger than I had expected-- not over twenty-five. He was a tall man, with a crew haircut and the build of a football player. Looking at him the first time, I expected a certain breeziness. instead, he was almost solemn. {p. 46} "I'm afraid you thought I was fishing for a lead." Steele looked at me earnestly. "I'm not working on the story--I'm tied up on other stuff." "Yes, though it still doesn't fit together. But I can tell you this: The saucers are real, or at least one of them." "Which one?" Had Mantell told Godman Tower more than the Air Force admitted? I went back to the "I owe you an apology," he said in a careful voice after we'd ordered. "You probably know I'm a syndicate writer?" I wondered if he'd found out Jack Daly was checking on him. "When you mentioned the Press Club," I said, "I gathered you were in the business." "Forget it," I told him. He seemed anxious to reassure me. "I'd been worried for some time about the saucers. I called you that night on an impulse." "Glad you did," I said. "I need every tip I can get." "Did it help you any?"