Page 1
| DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION | |||||
Page 2
PERMANEDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence
-
All four participants in the observation of the flying saucers or unconventional aircraft have now been debriefed and the following is a summary of their observations.
-
The party was travelling by train from Salim to Tiflis at the specific request of Senator Russell who tried to use rail transportation whenever it was at all feasible. The sightings were noted about ten minutes beyond Alyaty at 1910 hours when it was already dark. Senator Russell was resting alone in his compartment with the lights out when he noted a mail greenish-yellow glowing ball rising quite rapidly. He informed the other members of the party who were occupying the other compartment and a few minutes later they too observed another object.
-
Senator Russell never saw the form of the object only the luminescent ball. Mr. Efron saw only two lights resembling eyes. Colonel Bathaway saw a shadowy object with a single light in the middle at the top and a rotating light or lights similar to exhausts at the base. Senator Russell had the impression that the object could have been as small as a rocket although there were no objects available to produce a satisfactory scale and no trail was left by the rising ball. Mr. Gross and Colonel Bathaway considered the size of the object to be comparable to that of a U.S. jet fighter. However, Colonel Bathaway believes that the object did not resemble any aircraft, rocket or missile that he had ever seen. All observers agree on the impression that the object was rotating or whirling during its rise along its initial steep trajectory. Neither Senator Russell nor Mr. Gross noted any change in this trajectory, but Colonel Bathaway and Mr. Efron stated that the object altered its pattern to horizontal flight quite sharply. Neither Senator Russell, Colonel Bathaway nor Mr. Gross saw any objects on the ground with the exception of the search light, but Mr. Gross reported the presence of a triangular object with three lights which appeared to be ejected from a launching site.
-
Based on the interviews so far, the only testimony which would support the existence of flying success or radically unconventional aircraft is that of Colonel Hathaway. All other
T. S. 11505
Copy of
Page 3
Sightings of Flying Lancers or Unconventional Aircraft
observations can probably be explained as steep climbing aircraft or missiles. Further discussions will probably be required before the matter can be completely resolved. In the meantime, however, the evidence does not appear sufficiently firm to warrant the conclusion that the Soviets have developed and have in operation a radically new type of aircraft.
RESEARCH SCOTTLE, JR.
Assistant Director
Scientific Intelligence
OSI:HScoville:gs (31 October 1955)
Distribution
Orig & l - fwd
1 - DD/I
1 - OCI
1 - ASD/SI
1 - GM/SI
2 - AD/SI
Copy ___ of ___
Images
