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38 The sightings continued all night, and were seen by hundreds of witnesses over a widespread area. The next day, a press conference was held, and the Air Force attempted to explain the sightings. The public was told that the objects were illusions caused by “temperature inversions” in the atmosphere. Fortunately, the sightings were so numerous that they were impossible to cover up or explain away. Today, the sightings are believed by most researchers to be entirely valid and are considered one of the classic cases of UFO history. Researcher Captain Kevin Randle (U.S. Air Force) wrote a full- length book about the sightings. Says Randle, “The evidence is that something extraordinary was seen in the sky over Washington. Radar confirmed the sightings and fighters attempted to intercept these objects. There were visual sightings. And there was pressure by the Air Force to force their personnel to change their descriptions of the UFOs and their conclusions about the objects. We can say with certainty that something was seen by radar and observed visually .. . If the objects sighted were manufactured craft, then it is clear that they hadn’t been built on this planet because of their speed and maneuverability. The only explanation that fits the facts is the extra- terrestrial. The Washington Nationals show that we have been visited. There is no other plausible explanation.””” With the dramatic Washington sightings, public interest in UFOs soared. In fact, some researchers believe that the UFOs were actually putting on a display and announcing their presence. And it wasn’t long before more high-quality cases began to occur, making it very difficult for the Air Force to debunk the sightings. One of the next best-verified cases occurred over Ann Arbor, Michigan. On March 18, 1966, 50 or more witnesses (including a dozen police officers) observed a large, disk-shaped craft hovering low over the marshlands outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Several witnesses re- UFOS AND ALIENS SWAMP SIGHTING ported seeing four other smaller objects escorting the larger one.