The Green Fireball Unidentified Flying Objects (ufos) in Mexico

For years ufologists have marveled at accountsfrom all over northern New Mexico. By morning a
of the Green Fireball Unidentified Flying Objectsfull-fledged investigation was under way. No
(UFOs) in Mexico.matter what these green fireballs were, the
Here's a taster of what can be found in officialmilitary was getting a little edgy.
reports. At exactly midnight on September 18,Since the green fireballs bore some resemblance
1954, my telephone rang. It was Jim Phalen, ato meteors or meteorites, the Kirtland intelligence
friend of mine from the Long Beachofficers called in specialist Dr. Lincoln La Paz.
Press-Telegram, and he had a "good flying saucerTrue, he said, the description of the fireballs was
report," hot off the wires. He read it to me. Thesimilar to that of meteorites. In order to prove
lead line was: With thousands of people tonightthe green fireballs were meteorites, it would be
witnessing a huge fireball, which light up the darknecessary to plot the point at which they would
New Mexico skies."strike the earth.
The story went on to tell about how a "blindingAfter considering many sightings they finally
green" fireball the size of a full moon had silentlyplotted where they should have struck the earth
streaked southeast across Colorado and northernand searched the area but found nothing. They
New Mexico at eight-forty that night. Thousandswent back over the area time and time again 
of people had seen the fireball. It had passed rightnothing. As Dr. La Paz later told me, this was the
over a crowded football stadium at Santa Fe,first time that he seriously doubted the green
New Mexico, and people in Denver said it "turnedfireballs were meteorites.
night into day." The crew of a TWA airliner flyingWithin a few more days the fireballs were
into Albuquerque from Amarillo, Texas, saw it.appearing almost nightly. The intelligence officers
Every police and newspaper switchboard in thefrom Kirtland decided that maybe they could get
two-state area was jammed with calls.a good look at one of them, so on the night of
One of the calls was from a man inquiring ifDecember 8 two officers took off in an airplane
anything unusual had happened recently. Heavingjust before dark and began to cruise around
an audible sigh of relief after being told about thenorth of Albuquerque. They had a carefully
strange fireball he said, "Thanks - I was afraid I'dworked out plan where each man would observe
gotten some bad bourbon." And he hung up.certain details if they saw one of the green
Dr. Lincoln La Paz, world-famous authority onfireballs. At 6:33 P.M. they saw one. This is their
meteorites and head of the University of Newreport.
Mexico's Institute of Meteoritics, apparently tookAt 6:33 P.M. while flying at an indicated altitude of
the occurrence calmly. The wire story said he had11,500 feet, a strange phenomenon was
told a reporter that he would plot its course, tryobserved. Exact position of the aircraft at time of
to determine where it landed, and go out and trythe observation was 20 miles east of the Las
to find it. "But," he said, "I don't expect to findVegas, N.M., radio range station. With me as
anything."copilot, and the aircraft on a compass course of
When Jim Phalen had read the rest of the report90 degrees. I first observed the object and a split
he asked, "What was it?"second later the pilot saw it. It was 2,000 feet
"It sounds to me like the green fireballs are back,"higher than the plane, and was approaching the
I answered.plane at a rapid rate of speed from 30 degrees
"What the devil are green fireballs?" asked Jim.to the left of our course. The object was similar
What the devil are green fireballs? I'd like to know.in appearance to a burning green flare, the kind
So would a lot of other people.that is commonly used in the Air Force. However,
The green fireballs streaked into UFO history latethe light was much more intense and the object
in November 1948, when people aroundappeared considerably larger than a normal flare.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, began to report seeingAt first sight, the trajectory of the object was
mysterious "green flares" at night. The firstalmost flat and parallel to the earth. The
reports mentioned only a "green streak in thephenomenon lasted about 2 seconds. At the end
sky," low on the horizon. From the description theof this time the object seemed to begin to burn
Air Force Intelligence people at Kirtland AFB inout and the trajectory then dropped off rapidly.
Albuquerque and the Project Sign people at ATICThe phenomenon was of such intensity as to be
wrote the objects off as flares.visible from the very moment it ignited.
But as days passed the reports got better. ForBack at Wright-Patterson AFB, the main interest
instance the report at 9:27 P.M. on December 5was to review all incoming UFO reports and see if
by Captain Goede flying an Air Force C-47 atthe green fireball reports were actually unique to
18,000 feet 10 miles east of Albuquerque.the Albuquerque area. They were. Although a
Suddenly the crew, were startled by a green ballgood many UFO reports were coming in from
of fire flashing across the sky ahead of them. Itother parts of the U.S., none fit the description of
looked something like a huge meteor except thatthe green fireballs.
it was a bright green color and it didn't archAll during December 1948 and January 1949 the
downward, as meteors usually do.green fireballs continued to invade the New
After conferring quickly the crew agreed toMexico skies. Everyone, including the intelligence
report the incident, especially as they had seen anofficers at Kirtland AFB, Air Defense Command
similar object twenty-two minutes earlier near Laspeople, Dr. La Paz, and some of the most
Vegas, New Mexico.distinguished scientists at Los Alamos had seen at
The captain of Pioneer Airlines Flight 63 calledleast 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 fireLos Alamos to deter¬mine what should be done
just east of Las Vegas, New Mexico. As theyto further pursue the investigation. The Air Force,
watched, the object seemed to approach theirProject Sign, the intelligence people at Kirtland, and
airplane head on, changing color from orange redother interested parties had done everything they
to green. As it became bigger and bigger, thecould think of and still no answer.
captain said, he thought sure it was going toSuch notable scientists as Dr. Joseph Kaplan, a
collide with them so he tracked the DC-3 up in aworld-renowned authority on the physics of the
tight turn. As the green ball of fire got abreast ofupper atmosphere, Dr. Edward Teller, of H-bomb
them it began to fall toward the ground, gettingfame, and of course Dr. La Paz, attended, along
dimmer and dimmer until it disappeared. But itwith a lot of military brass and scientists from Los
took them only a split second to realize thatAlamos.
whatever they saw was too low and had too flatThis was one conference where there was no
a trajectory to be a meteor. He was on his wayneed to discuss whether or not this special type
to Albuquerque and would make a full reportof UFO, the green fireball, existed. Almost
when he landed.every¬one at the meeting had seen one.
With additional reported sightings being phoned in