| Amazing reports of sightings of Green Fireball | | | | More reports had also been phoned in from all |
| Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) have captivated | | | | over northern New Mexico. By the morning, a |
| ufologists for years. | | | | detailed investigation had begun. The military was |
| Here's a taster of what can be found in official | | | | getting a little edgy about the uncertainty of |
| reports. It was precisely midnight on September | | | | these green fireball sightings. |
| 18, 1954 when my telephone rang. It was Jim | | | | Since the green fireballs bore some resemblance |
| Phalen, a friend of mine from the Long Beach | | | | to meteors or meteorites, the Kirtland intelligence |
| Press-Telegram, and he had a "good flying saucer | | | | officers called in specialist Dr. Lincoln La Paz. |
| report," hot off the wires. He read it to me. The | | | | True, he said, the description of the fireballs was |
| lead line was: With thousands of people tonight | | | | similar to that of meteorites. One way to be sure |
| witnessing a huge fireball, which light up the dark | | | | was to try to plot the flight path of the green |
| New Mexico skies." | | | | fireballs to determine where they would have hit |
| The story went on to tell about how a "blinding | | | | the earth if they were meteorites. |
| green" fireball the size of a full moon had silently | | | | After considering many sightings they finally |
| streaked southeast across Colorado and northern | | | | plotted where they should have struck the earth |
| New Mexico at eight-forty that night. Thousands | | | | and searched the area but found nothing. They |
| of people had seen the fireball. It had passed right | | | | went back over the area time and time again - |
| over a crowded football stadium at Santa Fe, | | | | nothing. As Dr. Later La Paz confided that this |
| New Mexico, and people in Denver said it "turned | | | | was the first time he seriously doubted that the |
| night into day." Witnessed by the crew of a TWA | | | | green fire-balls were meteorites. |
| airliner flying into Albuquerque from Amarillo,. | | | | A couple of days later fireball sightings were being |
| Every police and newspaper switchboard in the | | | | report reported almost every night. The |
| two-state area was jammed with calls. | | | | intelligence officers from Kirtland decided that |
| One of the calls was from a man inquiring if | | | | maybe they could get a good look at one of |
| anything unusual had happened recently. Heaving | | | | them, so on the night of December 8 two |
| an audible sigh of relief after being told about the | | | | officers took off in an airplane just before dark |
| strange fireball he said, "Thanks - I was afraid I'd | | | | and began to cruise around north of Albuquerque. |
| gotten some bad bourbon." And he hung up. | | | | A carefully created plan was constructed for each |
| Dr. Lincoln La Paz, world-famous authority on | | | | person to concentrate on a specific detail when |
| meteorites and head of the University of New | | | | observing one of the green fireballs. At 6:33 P.M. |
| Mexico's Institute of Meteoritics, apparently did | | | | they saw one. This is their report. |
| not flinch when told of the sighting. The wire | | | | At 6:33 P.M. while flying at an indicated altitude of |
| story said he had told a reporter that he would | | | | 11,500 feet, a strange phenomenon was |
| plot its course, try to determine where it landed, | | | | observed. Exact position of the aircraft at time of |
| and go out and try to find it. "But," he said, "I | | | | the observation was 20 miles east of the Las |
| don't expect to find anything." | | | | Vegas, N.M., radio range station. With me as |
| When Jim Phalen had read the rest of the report | | | | copilot, and the aircraft on a compass course of |
| he asked, "What was it?" | | | | 90 degrees. I first observed the object, a split |
| "It sounds to me like the green fireballs are back," | | | | second later the pilot also saw it. It was 2,000 |
| I answered. | | | | feet higher, and was approaching our plane at a |
| "What the devil are green fireballs?" asked Jim. | | | | rapid rate from 30 degrees on our port side. The |
| What the devil are green fireballs? I'd like to know. | | | | object was similar in appearance to a burning |
| So would a lot of other people. | | | | green flare, the kind that is commonly used in the |
| The green fireballs streaked into UFO history late | | | | Air Force. However, the light was too intense, and |
| in November 1948, when people around | | | | the object appeared considerably larger to be |
| Albuquerque, New Mexico, began to report seeing | | | | considered as a normal flare. At first sight, the |
| mysterious "green flares" at night. The first | | | | trajectory of the object was almost flat and |
| reports mentioned only a "green streak in the | | | | parallel to the earth. The phenomenon lasted |
| sky," low on the horizon. From the description the | | | | about 2 seconds. At the end of this time the |
| Air Force Intelligence people at Kirtland AFB in | | | | object seemed to begin to burn out and the |
| Albuquerque and the Project Sign people at ATIC | | | | trajectory then dropped off rapidly. The |
| wrote the objects off as flares. | | | | phenomenon was of such intensity as to be visible |
| But as days passed the reports got better. For | | | | from the very moment it ignited. |
| instance the report at 9:27 P.M. on December 5 | | | | Back at Wright-Patterson AFB, the main interest |
| by Captain Goede flying an Air Force C-47 at | | | | was to review all incoming UFO reports and see if |
| 18,000 feet 10 miles east of Albuquerque. The | | | | the green fireball reports were actually unique to |
| crew, were startled by a sudden green ball of fire | | | | the Albuquerque area. They were. Numerous |
| flashing across the sky ahead of them. At first | | | | sightings of the UFOs were reported in other |
| sight appearing to be a huge meteor except that | | | | parts of the U.S., none fit the description of the |
| it was a bright green color and it didn't | | | | green fireballs. |
| characteristically arch downward, as meteors | | | | Continually throughout December 1948 and |
| usually do. | | | | January 1949, the skies of New Mexico seemed |
| After conferring quickly the crew agreed to | | | | full of green fireballs. Everyone, including the |
| report the incident, especially as they had seen an | | | | intelligence officers at Kirtland AFB, Air Defense |
| similar object twenty-two minutes earlier near Las | | | | Command people, Dr. La Paz, and some of the |
| Vegas, New Mexico. | | | | most distinguished scientists at Los Alamos had |
| The captain of Pioneer Airlines Flight 63 called | | | | seen at least one. |
| Kirtland Tower a few minutes after the incident. | | | | In mid-February 1949 a conference was called at |
| At 9:35 P.M. he had also seen a green ball of fire | | | | Los Alamos to deter¬mine what should be |
| just east of Las Vegas, New Mexico. Observing | | | | done to further pursue the investigation. The Air |
| the object apparently traveling on collision course | | | | Force, Project Sign, the intelligence people at |
| with their airplane, it changed color from orange | | | | Kirtland, and other interested parties had done |
| red to green. With the object becoming larger and | | | | everything they could think of and still no answer. |
| larger, the captain said, he thought sure it was | | | | Such notable scientists as Dr. Joseph Kaplan, a |
| going to collide with them, so he took avoiding | | | | world-renowned authority on the physics of the |
| action by steering the DC-3 up in a tight turn. As | | | | upper atmosphere, Dr. Edward Teller, of H-bomb |
| the green ball of fire got abreast of them it | | | | fame, and of course Dr. The attendees including |
| began to fall toward the ground, getting dimmer | | | | La Paz, along with a lot of military brass and |
| and dimmer until it disappeared. In a split second | | | | scientists from Los Alamos. |
| they realized whatever they saw was too low | | | | This was one conference where there was no |
| and had too flat a trajectory to be a meteor. He | | | | need to discuss whether or not this special type |
| was on his way to Albuquerque and would make | | | | of UFO, the green fireball, existed. Almost |
| a full report when he landed. | | | | every¬one at the meeting had seen one. |