The purpose of this listing is to discuss the status of missing and lost incidents recorded in the files of Major Donald Keyhoe and NICAP. In the instances where case material was recovered the sources will be disclosed as indicated.
Questions, comments and other missing file nominations are welcome at email: project1947@earthlink.net or Postal address:
| Project 1947 | |
| P. O. Box 391 | |
| Canterbury, CT 06331 |
As soon as Keyhoe took over as NICAP's Director and Admiral D. S. Fahrney became the Chief of the Board, there was a dilemma to be resolved. How could the variety of government, military, scientific and other officials willingly come forward to share accounts of their UFO sightings and related information without compromising their identities and potentially their careers?
Various case details were anonymized and the source material was thought to be hidden somewhere in the NICAP office or at Keyhoe's residence.
I spoke with Richard Hall, former Assistant Director of NICAP, and Gordon Lore, later Assistant Director and Vice President of the group, about the whereabouts of these original reports. Neither had any idea.
Hall thought that Keyhoe had a personal office in Luray, Virginia, where the items might have been kept but had no information as to whether anything had been located there.
A search of Keyhoe's residence turned up items that had been stored there for years, including extensive correspondence with publisher Henry Holt and Company about Air Force objections to Flying Saucers from Outer Space. Also found was a draft chapter from a planned new UFO book that Keyhoe was working on before his death, and a draft chapter from a book by Lou Corbin.
Some other items were obtained by Richard Hall for his Keyhoe Archives which were later transferred to Rod Dyke after Hall's passing.
Hidden cases:
February 10, 1951 Between Iceland and NAS Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada
One of the first “Hidden Cases” given to Admiral Fahrney. It features in the first chapter of Flying Saucer: Top Secret (pages 15-20). Keyhoe changed the date and the names of the personnel involved. (I have had several contentious arguments with people who did not understand that fact or did not carefully read Keyhoe's book.)
Graham Bethune was the co-pilot of the aircraft. I met him at a MUFON conference. He never met Keyhoe and when he heard that Keyhoe wanted to use him as a witness before a proposed Congressional hearing he indicated he wanted no part of it.
When Fournet visited Keyhoe in January 1953 he reached into his briefcase files and revealed a similar case for 21 February, 1951, just 11 days after Bethune's sighting.
Status: Bethune and other members of the crew finally came forward and authorized the use of their names. This case is well known today and is in the Project Blue Book files.
Fall 1951 Korean Area. Night.
A Lt. Cmdr., USN, was riding with a radar operator to check on his proficiency. They were flying at 5,000 feet, solid instruments, with their wingman flying a radar position about 3 miles astern and slightly to their right or left. The target, which was slightly larger than their wingman, was picked up on their scope as it had been circling the fleet. The target then left the fleet and joined up on them in a position behind their wingman. He reported the target to the ship. He was informed that the target was held on all of the ships’ radars — 14 in number — and for them to get a visual sighting if possible. Dense clouds in the area made a visual sighting impossible. The target retained its relative position for approximately 5 minutes and then departed at speeds in excess of one thousand miles per hour. It departed on a straight course and was observed to the maximum distance of their radar which was two hundred miles. (NICAP files). Certified by a NICAP board member, this was one of the hidden cases. Before the publication of Hall’s The UFO Evidence the witness okayed the use of his name.
Sources: Flying Saucers: Top Secret, Chapter 1, and Hall, The UFO Evidence, page 84
Comments: Keyhoe was unaware that the Navy did not consider radar-only cases in the Korean area of operation as valid. It was not until the radar-visual case of February, 1952 that they started taking such cases seriously. Mr. Wallace Bush, member of the Air Directorate of Intelligence, Far East Air Force, kept notes on radar reports from meetings in which UFOs were discussed. He also re-investigated previous UFO radar cases. While the Davies case did not come to his attention, others did and Mr. Bush became the Far East Air Force's pointman for radar-UFO reports.
Status: Case file by Commander Davies is in NICAP files and is published here on Project 1947.
Summer of 1952
A friend of Admiral Fahrney's, who was the head of a lab in New England, saw a UFO and took careful notes, stating it was like a “rocket ship.” The head of the lab was a PhD and seven of his assistants also saw the UFO with him.
Source: Keyhoe: Flying Saucers: Top Secret, pages 263-4
Status: Lost
1953: The Navy Squadron Case.
A carrier-based squadron of AD-4 Skyraiders flying offshore on the Atlantic coast encountered a large rocket-shaped object.
Sources: Flying Saucers: Top Secret: Chapter XV confirmed by Naval officers in the Pentagon, pages 266-7, Hall, The UFO Evidence, pages 30-31
Status: NICAP copy of file lost. Dan Wright was contacted by one of the pilots.
1955 Navy Case
A Navy Commander who was a World War II veteran and missile expert, told Admiral Fahrney he had been flying out of Naval Air Station Anacostia over Virginia when he saw a huge metallic 100-foot diameter disc. The disc flew in formation with him about 75 feet away, and as he tried to ease his plane in for a closer look, it tilted upward and accelerated away at high speed.
Sources: Keyhoe, Flying Saucers: Top Secret, pages 265-266, Hall, The UFO Evidence, pages 31-2.
Status: Lost.
Fall 1958 Southwestern air base.
Two maneuvering UFOs were picked up on Air Force radar. Two jets were scrambled to intercept the UFOs. Pilot 1 tried to close on one UFO, but it went straight up at high speed. This was tracked on ground radar. Pilot 1 was able to reacquire the UFO as it was descending and reversed his course to try to get gun camera film. He was unable to do so due to the object's high speed evasion. Pilot 2 was having similar difficulties. As pilot 1 tried to join up with pilot 2, he saw that the first UFO was trailing him. He attempted to turn around to try to close on the first disc, but again it evaded him. Radar confirmed most of the action. Frank Edwards and Richard Hall certified the case.
Source: Flying Saucers: Top Secret, pages 264-265.
Status: Lost.
December 17, 1956, between Korea and Japan
Dec. 17, 1956. Near 34° N, 131° E. 3:20 p.m. [?]
USAF pilot, Lt., 68th FIS intelligence officer, Itazuke AFB, Japan, flying F-86D interceptor at 25,000 ft. heading 330° then 270°, initially at 340-350 knots IAS (400 mph IAS) tracked UFO on radar at 20 NM range at 30° left (11 o'clock) [12? o'clock?] level, turned to pursue [at 270°? 300°?] radar lock-on at 15 NM, closed at steady overtake, saw a golden brown round object accelerate to 1,500 to 1,800 knots (1,700 to 2,100 mph) at disappearance at 5 NM range. Strong ECM interference on airborne radar and that of F-86D wingman's radar 6 NM behind lead plane; wingman did not see or track UFO but did receive ECM interference. Radar interference anti-jamming device (frequency change) worked for 10 secs at a time but interference would return again. Ground GCI radar did not skin-track either the F-86's or the UFO but had to use IFF transponders on F-86's for tracking. (Sparks; BB files; NICAP; Shough; Weinstein; Saunders/FUFOR Index)
Note: Radar lock broken due to UFO high speed out distancing of the aircraft.
Someone in Air Force Intelligence at the Pentagon sent an unclassified copy of the Air Intelligence Information Form reporting this incident to NICAP. Keyhoe had two intelligence officers who were sympathetic to NICAP who occasionally sent him unclassified material. This was such a case.
Sources: Keyhoe, Flying Saucer: Top Secret, pages 103-105, Hall, The UFO Evidence, page 6.
Status: Lost, Reconstituted from material in the NICAP files.
Note that about 2 weeks later another a similar Project Blue Book report was made in the Pacific area.
Dec. 31, 1956 [Jan. 1, 1957?]. Guam. 2:10 a.m.
USAF 1st Lt. Ted Brunson, flying an F-86D jet interceptor, saw a round, white object fly under his jet, which was unable to turn as sharply as the object. (Sparks; Berliner; Saunders/FUFOR Index). Electromagnetic effects and radar tracking during this incident.
The pilot’s son interviewed his father concerning this incident. The interview is held by MUFON which might make it public soon.
See news article on Brunson and supporting incident documents.
February 14, 1958, USAF C-54 Skymaster flying west of Guam
Air Force Air Intelligence Information Form 112, Serial Number AF-1180923. Not in Project Blue Book files. No longer in NICAP files.
A bright, flare-like explosion was sighted by the crew of an Air Force C-54 approximately two hour’s flying time West of Wake Island. During the hour within which the sighting occurred, one visual and two radar contacts were made. Tracing action has uncovered no routine sea or air traffic in the area at the time of sighting.
Source: Keyhoe: Flying Saucers: Top Secret, pages 272-273
Status: See Lost Files: https://www.project1947.com/folio/1958c54.htm
Report found in USAF HQ, Intelligence Command file of 62 UFO reports at the National Archives.
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