Levelland, Texas - November 1957 - audio recordings transcribed

Introduction

Late on the evening of 2 November, 1957 and the early hours of the morning of 3 November, 1957 (local time), a number of individuals reported a series of incidents involving an unusual object, near the location of Levelland, Texas in the United States of America. There is much material available on the net, but I have been looking for primary material relating to the event, i.e. audio recordings of those directly involved; or written statements from those directly involved. This was to give me a better understanding of the core information, without the distortion of being written up in summary form by third parties.

Map of sighting locations by unknown author

Interestingly, I located no audio recordings of interviews with the actual witnesses. You might consider this normal for that era, i.e. rural Texas in 1957. However, I did locate two audio recordings made in 1957 with one of the central figures, Sheriff Weir Clem; plus, a transcript of a third interview with Sheriff Clem.  These are the closest one can get to the witnesses’ testimony, at least in audio format. I will present these three in transcript form. After which, I will present written material gathered from direct interviews between witnesses and the United States Air Force's Project Blue Book. 

Transcript one

Sheriff Clem: ‘Pedro Sauced’, that is a Mexican (words missing)

Interviewer: ‘What did he say he has seen?’

C: He was travelling coming east on highway, state highway 116, and about 5 miles west of Levelland. He said there was something came over his car and came into contact with it. It killed his motor, knocked out his lights, and he said there was a terrific sound like a big blast – a big thunder, or something like that.

I: Well, that was one of the things I wanted to ask you. Did you notice a sound when you saw it?

C: No, sir, I did not.

I: You noticed no sound whatsoever. Did you see a light?

C: Yes, sir, I definitely seen the light, and the light is all I seen. It was seen by several different people. They called in also highway patrols and they had, I guess, fifteen units out hunting that thing last night.

I: Well, some of the eyewitnesses that saw it, what did they describe it as – as in size, etc?

C: James D Long, a colored male from Waco, Texas, working here in the cotton harvest, he drove up on it settlin in the highway, on the farm to marker road, we call the Oklahoma (word missing) Road. Runs north and a little west of Levelland. And he said, just as he drove up to this object, turned his car lights and drove up. It was sitting in the road, (word missing) his car lights shined on it, just as plain as could be, and he had made his stop, and presumably to get out, and this thing lit up, and when it did, to take off, why his lights went out and his motor died.

I: Well, did his lights reflect from it as he drove up on it?

C: Yes, sir. And he said it was egg shaped (words missing) the best he could figure it looked like a big egg.

I: Was it spherical – I mean by that, was it a solid object or did it appear to have windows, or openings in it?

C: That he did not give us at all. He said it just looked like an egg shape, big oval egg-shaped object.

I: Any of the eyewitnesses who came that near to it, did they notice any other effect other than the noise and the lights; in other words, any physical effect from it?

C: No, sir.

I: How close did you get sheriff?

C: Well, the lights that I seen, of course, I never did see the object now; the light that was reflected from the object, one presumes it was, I would say 300 yards.

I: Did you get any reports from homeowners or businesses near the place that there was any effect in their electrical systems?

C: No, sir. Haven’t yet – we sure didn’t. That could have been up in the night, you know- from 12 o’clock to 3 o’clock this morning. All of them was, anyone was in bed at that time.

I: What other eyewitnesses did you have?

C: Mr Frank D Williams, from Kermit, Texas. He said he done him the same way on highway 51, about 9 miles north of Levelland.

I: Did he report a noise also?

C: No, sir he didn’t. He didn’t report the noise. By this time I was out there trying to find it and he called in to the dispatcher and they did not report any noise to me. I am trying to locate Mr Williams on the phone at this time.

I: Well, thank you very much sheriff. And this is the report- another feature of KKDA Live-wire. We return to music at 11 minutes past 3.’

(Source of this transcript is part of a communication from a Calvin Smith of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to James E McDonald in 1967.  The date of this recording is stated to have been 3 November 1957 which is consistent with references to ‘this morning’ in the transcript.)

Transcript two

Paul Parker: When did you first receive word that such an object had been sighted?

Clem: That was at 11.15 on Saturday night, 11.15.

P: Who called you?

C: A Latin American subject on the, called me from 5 miles west of Levelland, Texas, where the object was seen, when it cut his motor and his lights off, on his car.

P: When did you receive the second report?

C: At 12.05.

P: From the same general area?

C: Ah, no, yes, it was from the north west of Levelland. I was making a routine check of it all. I went to the first, when I got my first report at 11.15. I went to the scene where it was supposed to be. Nothing, we did find. We found nothing there.

P: What was the condition of the man’s car?

C: After it was over there was no harm whatever. It started. His lights came back on. He started the car and went on into town.

I: And how many miles was that from the first report?

C: It was about 8 or 9 miles’ cross country.

I: Did the description coincide?

C: Yes.

P: Have there been any Air Force people on the scene?

C: Yes. It is definitely the fact that it has been here. There have been objects reported here. We have talked to four different witnesses. None of them knows each other. Never came into communication with each other.

(The recording was of an interview between Paul Parker, staff member of radio station WIP, Philadelphia, and Sheriff Weir Clem of Levelland, dated 11 November 1957. Courtesy of Roy Craig's collection via Michael Swords.)

Transcript three

Anthony Edwards: Tell me exactly, what does this story add up to, down there in Levelland, Texas. I understand the Air Force is currently investigating that area, and other areas, and would you tell me what transpired late Saturday night, early Sunday morning down there, and what you were told by many witnesses who saw it. Number one, a Mr Wright, who told you a very interesting story. Sheriff, what was his story?

Clem: Mr Wright is a (words missing) Levelland, Texas. While returning from Lubbock, Texas a short time after midnight, when he drove his automobile close to the object. But Mr Wright said he did not know the object was there, until his motor died. His lights went out. He thought he had something else wrong with the car. Checked his battery, checked his wiring systems on his car; found nothing wrong. And he looked out of his car, turned around and seen this big object in the road just ahead of him. That frightened Mr Wright pretty much, so he jumped back in his car. He said he watched this object for about four minutes. He said it had a beautiful glow to it. A bluish, greenish glow. It was an oval shape (words missing) but flat on its bottom. The object was estimated to be 125 to 200 feet in diameter. After Mr Wright had watched the object for about four minutes, the object then takes off, almost straight up at a terrific speed, and about two seconds Mr Wright said it was out of his sight. It did not make any sound at all. Mr Wright said there was no portholes, doors, windows or any sign of life about this object. Nor any signs of motors or propellers, that he could see at all.

E. Well, sheriff Clem, how many other people in Levelland, Texas witnessed a sighting of the phantom object?

C: There was only four that really seen the object. There was two more drove up to the object as (word missing) Mr Wright did, sittin on the highway. That was Mr Williams from Kermit, Texas, who came up with the same story. He did describe the object same as Mr Wright. And also, there was a negro (words missing) from Waco, Texas who drove up on the object in the road, exactly as Mr Wright.

E. I understand you yourself saw the object, not on the ground but in the sky. Is that correct?

C: No, sir it is not. I did not see the object. I seen the lights, I will say the beams from the object.

(The recording was an interview between an Anthony Edwards and Sheriff Clem. It is undated, and was found in the “Faded Discs” collection on the internet.)

Project Blue Book material

The Project Blue Book Levelland file, contains an Air Intelligence Information Report, prepared by Lt. Col. W. P.  Brunson (USAF.) The report is dated 18 November 1957. In it there are details obtained from four witnesses by investigator Staff Sergeant Norman P. Barth. The four witnesses are:

1.       Mr Newel E Wright.

2.       Mr Pedro Saucedo.

3.       Sheriff Weir Clem.

4.       Lee Roy Hargrove.

Details given are as follows.

I SOURCE: Newel Eliphalet Wright, Jr.

Address: 1369 Eight Street, Levelland, Texas.

Age: 19

Occupation: Student at Texas Technological College, Lubbock, Texas.

Education: Second semester, Freshman year, Texas Tech.

Qualifications: None.

II RELIABILITY: SOURCE seemed to the investigator to be very sincere about his sighting. He was appalled at the amount of publicity given him and was anxious to have the sighting resolved. He was unhesitating in his replies; however, during the course of further questioning, he admitted uncertainty in some of his answers. SOURCE can be considered usually reliable.

III SOURCE’S DESCRIPTION OF SIGHTING: SOURCE stated that he was driving home from Lubbock, Texas (FJDD0935) on the night of 3 November 1957 at 0005 CST on Texas highway 116. Approximately four miles west of Smyer, Texas (FJDD2035), the ampmeter on SOURCE’s automobile began cutting out as it were not getting enough gas. After it had quit running the lights and car radio went out. SOURCE then got out of the car and lifted the hood to check for battery malfunction, finding none, closed the hood of the car and turned around to look for help. It was at this time that SOURCE saw the object and returned to the inside of the car.

SOURCE described the object as oval shaped and he thought that the size of the object was that of a baseball at arm’s length. He estimates that he object was seventy-five to one hundred feet at its longest dimension. SOURCE stated that the object was white in colour, with a greenish tinge, possibly caused by the tinted windshield of SOURCE’s car.

SOURCE estimated that he had been observing the object for four to five minutes when it rose virtually straight up and out of his line of vision. SOURCE was unable to estimated the speed with which the object left the area and was unable to estimate the distance he was from the object.

Upon the departure of the object SOURCE stated that the lights and radio of the car came on and the motor started with no difficulty.

SOURCE stated that there were heavy clouds in the area and a light rain falling.

SOURCE had no opinion concerning the possible cause of the sighting.

Statement:

‘I was driving home from Lubbock on state highway 116 at approximately 12.00pm when the ampmeter of my car jumped to complete discharge, then it returned to normal and my motor started cutting out like it was out of gas. After it had quit running my lights went out. I got out of my car and tried in vain to find the trouble. When I found nothing, I closed the hood and looked for a passing motorist to obtain help.

It was at this time that I saw the object. I got back into my car and tried to start it, but to no avail. After that I did nothing but stare at this object until it disappeared about five minutes later.

I then resumed trying to start my car and succeeded with no more trouble than under normal circumstances. I then proceeded home very slowly and told no one of the sighting until my parents returned home from a weekend trip to Hobbs, New Mexico for fear of public ridicule. They did convince me that I should report this and did so to the sheriff around .3pm Sunday November 3^rd.’

I SOURCE: Pedro Saucedo.

Address: 219 Avenue H, Levelland, Texas.

Age: 30

Occupation: Barber.

Education: Grade school.

Qualifications: Nil.

II RELIABILITY: SOURCE appeared to be of below average intelligence. He stated his occupation as barber; however, Sheriff Clem of Hockley County, stated that SOURCE was a part-time farm labourer; dishwasher; barber etc. SOURCE had no concept of direction and was conflicting in his answers. SOURCE can be considered not usually reliable.

III SOURCE’S DESCRIPTION OF SIGHTING. At 02/2300 CST November 1967, SOURCE was driving west on Texas highway 116 about four miles from Levelland, Texas (refer to inclusion 1, Part seven) when he saw a large flame in the west. SOURCE thought it was caused by lightning. The object however, moved over his position and his truck engine and lights went out. Because of the heat and speed of the object, SOURCE got out of his truck and laid on the ground. SOURCE described the object as shaped like a torpedo. The color of the object itself was blue. The object had yellow flame coming out the rear and white smoke surrounding the flame.

SOURCE estimate the dimension of the object to be two hundred feet long and six feet wide.

SOURCE stated the object was in sight for two to three minutes and disappeared by burning out.

SOURCE estimated the speed of the object to be eight hundred miles per hour and he estimated the object to be three hundred feet away. Upon disappearance of the object, SOURCE was able to restart the engine and after the engine started, the lights of the truck came on. SOURCE stated he thought the object was an electronically controlled rocket.

Statement:

To whom it may concern, on the date of November 2, 1957 I was travelling north and west on route 116, driving my truck. At about four miles out of Levelland, I saw a bright flame, to my right, front, then I thought it was lightning. But when the object had reach to my position, it was different, because it put my truck motor out and lights. Then I stop, got out, and look, but it was so rapid and quite some hear, that I had to hit the ground, it also had three colors, yellow, white and it look like a torpedo, about 200 feet long, moving at about 600 60 800 miles an hour.’

I. SOURCE: Weir Clem.

Address: Box 1907, Levelland, Texas.

Age: 43.

Occupation: Sheriff of Hockley County.

Qualification: Officer’s school of Texas.

II. RELIABILITY: SOURCE impressed the investigator as being of average intelligence. He was eager to cooperate in resolving the sighting and frequently asked the investigator for advice on releases to the press. He was rather pleased with the sudden importance of the county. SOURCE can be considered fairly reliable.

III SOURCE DESCRIPTION OF THE SIGHTING: At 03/0130 CST November 1957, SOURCE was driving in his car looking for objects that had been reported in the area. SOURCE was travelling south on the Oklahoma Flat Road (refer to inclusion 1, part seven) at twenty miles per hour when he saw “just a streak of light one time.’ This light had  a reddish glow and moved from south to west in two seconds. SOURCE estimated the object to be eight hundred feet at its longest dimension and estimated the object to be four hundred yards from his point of observation. SOURCE had no opinion as to the possible cause of the sighting.’

‘I SOURCE: Lee Roy Hargrove.

Address: 600 W First Street, Littlefield, Texas.

Age: 24.

Occupation: Texas highway Patrolman.

Eduction: High school.

Qualification: Patrol school and jet fighter school.

II RELIABILITY: usually reliable.

Statement:

Was driving south on the unmarked roadway known as the Oklahoma Flats highway and was attempting to search for an unidentified object reported to the Levelland Police Department. When I saw a strange looking flash which looked to be down the roadway approximately a mile to a mile and one half, the flash went from east to west and appeared to be close to the ground. The flash lasted only a fraction of a second and was red to orange red color. This flash occurred approximately 1.15am on the morning of November 3, 1957.’

Notes

I came across a large number of newspaper accounts of the above, and other, accounts of witnesses. However, it is often difficult to tell, which press stories were drawn from direct interviews with the witnesses and which were simply compilations of existing material. So, I will err on the side of caution and simply present the above material, which does give a flavour of the events of that night.

Perth photographs - January 1966

Hi all,

The last of the series from James E McDonald's 1967 Australian audio collection.

Identification Code/CD Number: 3T22S205/CD59

Date Recorded: June/July 1967

File Size:  9.4 MB

Interview Duration (m:s): 9:47

Interview Details: James E McDonald interviews Les Benedek

Sighting Date: 24 January 1966

Sighting Time: 2230hrs

Location of Sighting:  Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Duration of Sighting: Ca. 15 seconds

Witness(es): Mr Les Benedek

Summary

Background:

On 24 January 1966 at about 2230 hours, a Mr Benedek was in Perth, Western Australia.  He said he was taking colour photographs when he saw a bluish-green light, he described the object as, ‘It was oval shaped with an ‘antenna’ on the front and dropped towards the river at terrific speed’. 

It is claimed that the Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF) examined the photographs but nothing to this effect has been found on RAAF files in the National Archives of Australia. 

Various details on this sighting have been published:

1. Australian Flying Saucer Review (Victorian edition). July 1966. Number 5. p.20.
2. AFSR (UFOIC edition). Number 9. Front cover.
3. 'Sun Herald' newspaper. Sydney. 5 July 1966.
4. 'Perth Sunday Times.' 5 June 1966.
5. 'Life International' magazine. 18 April 1966.

Audi recording

Benedek says that he moved back with the camera, and placed the camera on a rock.  McDonald states that it is clear that the second and third photographs were taken from a slightly different place, as indicated by the position of the brush in front.  McDonald mentions someone called Martin, who was bothered about the first of the three photographs, in that the alignment of the distant lights suggests quite a substantial displacement from the other two photographs.  The photograph in questions was the one showing a small dot.  Benedek responds by saying that the first photograph referred to by McDonald may not in fact be the first one that he had taken.  Benedek claims he used a complete roll of film.

Benedek was at Kings Park, Perth, taking photographs.  Then he went towards the bay where there is a park.  There he said he sighted the ‘flying saucer’, and he was able to take three photographs of the object while standing at the same location.  McDonald suggested that the first photograph was taken 400 to 800 metres from the other two photographs.  Benedek wondered if he had mixed up the photographs.

McDonald said the pictures appeared in an UFOIC magazine cover with an arrow pointing to a dot.  McDonald then discussed Martin’s second point of concern.  This was that photograph two, the one with the flare-like object at a higher angular elevation than photograph three, shows the streaks on a distance highway broken into three parts.  A correspondent of Martin’s had surveyed the site, this indicated that the small breaks in the photograph were caused by trees.  This finding appeared to confirm that there were only three cars.  McDonald then states that based on this finding his estimate of the photograph’s negative exposure time was 15 seconds.  Ripples on the streaks had been measured and corresponded with a breathing rate.  He was puzzled about the tripod mounting and how the sinusoidal ripples occurred?

Benedek claims that he had the camera on a tripod.  He kept his finger on the button to keep the camera shutter open, allowing him to take a time exposure.  The ripples in the photograph could have been due to his hand shaking.  McDonald claims that Martin thought it was on a cable release.  Benedek claimed that he had set the camera to ‘B’ setting and therefore not used a cable shutter release.

McDonald then asks, ‘what about the estimate of 15 seconds?’  Benedek is uncertain, stating, ‘I thought it was less than 15 seconds, perhaps 10 seconds’.  Benedek claims the object was hovering at first then moved downwards.  Martin’s correspondent had duplicated the scene using a 15 second exposure.

McDonald asked, ‘How long it had been between when the photographs were taken and developed?’, Benedek answered, ‘it was a week’.  McDonald then asks, ‘what did you do then?’, Benedek replies, “I took them to the Sydney Morning Herald, they said, ‘we will reproduce them as black and white, why not take them to Life International?’”  Benedek claims a Mr Shirley of Life International told him to submit the photographs to the RAAF.  He did this, and an officer from the RAAF told him, ‘certainly not reflections’.

Life International published the photographs in the 18 April 1966 edition.

A strange series of sightings - Hobart, Tasmania - 1959

Hi all,

Yet another interview from the 1967 McDonald collection.

Identification Code/CD Number: 3T18S202/CD55

Date Recorded: 6 July 1967

File Size: 10.1 MB

Interview Duration (m:s): 10:33

Interview Details: James McDonald interviews Alan D Shaw (Part 1)

Sighting Date: 8 January 1959

Sighting Time: 0900 hrs

Location of Sighting: Hobart Bay, Risdon, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Duration of Sighting: 15 minutes

Witness(es): Alan D Shaw and W L Newton; both electrical engineers for the Tasmanian Hydroelectric Commission.

Summary:

The two men were inspecting a transmission structure near the Electrolytic Zinc Company of Australasia.  They were outside during the observation.

Shaw read a typed statement to McDonald, that Shaw had prepared on the day of the incident.

At 0920 hrs Shaw drew Newton’s attention to what appeared to be a piece of newspaper in the air.  The object may have been caught in an updraft, over the zinc works, at an estimated height of 1000 feet (300 metres), it floating downwards to about 200 feet (60 metres).  It then accelerated to a high speed and disappeared between two buildings, about a quarter of a mile (400 metres) away.  It was travelling at about 30 to 60 mph (110 to 220 kilometres per hour), and appeared ‘flexible’ in shape.  They later searched the area and found nothing to account for this sighting.

Newton then saw a similar second object, and both men watched it until it disappeared, behind the admin building, a few seconds after the first object disappeared from view.

Image courtesy Google maps

To the north-west, both men then saw a third, high flying, high speed object, which travelled across the sky and disappeared behind Mount Direction, that is 1469 feet (448 metres) high.  This one was small, and flashing a white light at 1500 cycles per minute.  It appeared to be several thousand feet (over 300 metres) high.  In one second it travelled through an angle of 20 degrees.  A similar object was seen to the north-east.  At one time this object made large clockwise circular motions in the sky.  This object hovered, then moved towards the sun, before being stationary.

After seeing these four objects, the men witnessed two more.  The latter two were jet black in colour and elongated, and observed to the north of the sun.  Mr Newton thought they had emerged from the fourth object seen.  They looked like inverted bowling skittles with the ball leading.  The men each watched one of these black objects to watch.  Shaw’s one neared the Derwent River which at this point is 600 yards (550 metres) wide.  He thought his black object was three to six feet (one to two metres) long and 300 yards (275 metres) away.  When it got to about 100 feet (30 metres) above the river it stopped, then moved horizontally to the south for about 100 feet (30 metres).  It descended vertically and entered the water with no splash, at 1800 feet (550 metres) from Shaw.  Two seagulls were passing by and they appeared to momentarily stop and investigate the area where the object entered the river.  The time was 0945 hrs.

The weather was sunny, with a light southerly breeze with sparse clouds.  Both men were wearing sunglasses during the observation.

Identification Code/CD Number:  3T19S101/CD56

Date Recorded: 6 July 1967

File Size: 19.3 MB

Interview Duration (m:s): 20:09

Interview Details: James E McDonald interviews Alan D Shaw (Part 2)

Sighting Date: 8 January 1959

Sighting Time: 0900hrs

Location of Sighting: Hobart Bay, Rison, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Duration of Sighting: 15 minutes

Witness(es): Alan D Shaw and W L Newton

Summary:

Mr Shaw advised McDonald, that he (Shaw) had, the previous year, given a talk to the local Astronomical Society about the events of 1959.  Shaw had prepared slides illustrating the event, which he and McDonald viewed as they spoke.

Shaw said that both the weather bureau and the Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF) had been informed of the observations but that no one had an explanation for what was seen.  A check for weather balloons found that on this day none were released, apparently due to faulty equipment.

Shaw advised McDonald that on that day, a total of six objects had been seen.  Two ‘paper’ like ones; two flashing ones and two black ones.

When viewing the slides, McDonald clarified various points which Shaw read out from his prepared statement (without the slides it is difficult to follow parts of the conversation).

The newspaper like objects that appeared to be a 2:1 ratio in size, and they were ‘flexing’ as they moved.  The second one at times had a shape similar to a carrot or a turnip.  These disappeared behind buildings.

The black objects were near the sun.  With sunglasses, and obscuring the sun, the black objects were clearly outlined and visible.  They had no surface features.  They were dull, jet black.  When the object had entered the water he had seen no obvious splash.

McDonald states that objects entering the water is of interest to him.

Shaw said that the resident RAAF officer commented to Shaw that he may as well forget what he had seen.

Shaw gave a talk about the incident to members of the local Astronomical Society, as he was a member of that group.

Ron Sullivan - Victoria - April 1966

Hi all, 

On April 4, 1966, Ron Sullivan was driving by car at night when he saw a 'light' in an adjacent paddock. He then stated that the headlights of his car veered to the right for no apparent reason. Later inspection revealed an unusual area of disturbed soil in the paddock where the 'light' had been observed. 

The incident was recorded at the time in:

1. The 'Melbourne Age.' 7 & 12 April 1966.
2. The 'Ballarat Courier.' 12 April 1966.
3. The 'Maryborough Advertiser.' 15 April 1966.
4. APRO Bulletin. May 1966. p.1.
5. Australian Flying Saucer Review (Victorian edition) No. 5, p.12. July 1966.

James E McDonald interview

The following is drawn from an audio recording with Ron Sullivan, by James E McDonald, during a visit to Australia in 1967. 

Identification Code/CD: 3T16S204/CD52

Date Recorded: July 1967

File Size: 21.0 MB

Interview Duration (m:s): 21:55

Interview Details: James McDonald interviews Ronald F Sullivan

Sighting Date: 7 April 1966

Sighting Time: Ca. 2030 hrs

Location of Sighting: Maryborough to St Arnaud Road, Victoria, Australia

Duration of Sighting: Not stated during recording

Witness(es): Ronald F Sullivan

Image courtesy Whereis?

Sullivan was driving long a bitumen road in a 1965 Ford Falcon sedan, at approximately 60 mph (96 km/hr) speed.  The sky was very clear.  There was no moonlight and there was a slight breeze.  He first saw a light and thought it was the rear lights of a tractor in a paddock.  As he got closer he saw a light, that lifted off the ground.  This light had, ‘Tubes of coloured lights.’  These ‘lights’ were, ‘All the colours of the spectrum.’  The tubular coloured lights were coming off it.  There appeared to be a, ‘Disc or cone 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 metres) in diameter.’  Each ‘tube’ was four to five inches (10 to 13 cm) in diameter.

The police determined that the position of the object, in the paddock, could have been 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 metres) from the road, since a depression was found in the paddock located that distance from the road.  The ‘disc’ was estimated to be 20 to 30 feet (six to nine metres) above the ground, at one point.

The most unusual aspect was that this car’s headlight’s beam ‘bent’ to the right, towards this light formation, ‘As if they were magnetised.’

McDonald asked if Sullivan could see the beams of his headlights, Sullivan said, ‘Yes.’  Questioning then lead to the suggestion that a car, half a mile ahead (one km), and going in the same direction, as Sullivan, was kicking up dust.  This was suggested as the reason Sullivan could see the beams of his headlights.  The headlights of the car were sealed in and could not independently move.

The police, Sargent Suttie of Maryborough, found a ground marking in the paddock.  A circular depression in the ground, four to five feet (10 to 13 cm) in diameter and seven to eight inches (18-20cm) deep.  These measurements were smaller than what Sullivan would have estimated from the size of the ‘disc’.  There were no human or animal markings around the depression.  The soil inside seemed to have been rippled in a clockwise direction.

Ron Sullivan in 2014 - image courtesy VUFOA

Sullivan noted no unusual noise above the noise of his vehicle.  The motor of his car was not affected, just the headlight’s beam appeared bent.  Responding to a question from McDonald about suffering any physiological effects, Sullivan said, ‘Only paralysis.’  Further questioning led him to say, ‘A temporary mental paralysis.’  He was not frightened at the time, but hours later he queried what had happened.

At the time he had only told his wife about this event.  However, when he heard about the death of a motorist in that same spot, he told the Police what he had seen.  They went out with Sullivan to the spot and found the depression in the paddock.

McDonald then questioned Ronald about the ‘bent’ headlight’s beam.  Sullivan admitted it was difficult to properly describe what exactly occurred to the headlights.  However, the following points were given.  The total duration of the effect to the headlights was only, ‘A couple of seconds.’  The headlights beam veered to the right by 30 to 45 degrees.  The headlights had then momentarily turned off.  Following this they came back on and the beam ‘bent’ 30 to 45 degrees to the right.  Then the headlights functioned normally.  Sullivan said it was difficult to describe this incident.  He used the words, ‘The ground location of the bend was the same.’

He did not stop to investigate but travelled approximately 40 miles (64 km) to his destination.

McDonald asked if the Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF) had investigated, Sullivan said, ‘They had not.’  McDonald asked if the Department of Civil Aviation had investigated, he said, ‘No, they had not.’  Only the police, UFO Investigation Center (UFOIC) and Victorian Flying Saucer Research Society (VFSRS), and some university students had investigated this sighting.

Ronald concluded that the headlights had been ‘bent’ by ‘magnetism’ or ‘gravity’.

The Cressy, Tasmanian sighting - 1960

Hi all,

Another of the summaries of audio recordings made by James E McDonald during his visit in 1967.

On 4 October 1960, Reverend L Browning and his wife, saw a 'long cigar shaped object' emerge from a rain squall. It was dull grey in colour and had 'four or five vertical dark bands around its circumference.' It had something which looked like a 'short aerial array.' It travelled northwards. Seconds later, 5-6 small saucer-like objects come out of the cloud at high speed. These and the cigar then reversed back into the rain squall and did not re-emerge.

McDonald's interview

Identification Code/CD Number: 3T20S1202/CD57

Date Recorded: 6 July 1967

File Size: 18.4 MB

Interview Duration (m:s): 19:33

Interview Details: James McDonald interviews the Reverend Lionel Browning

Sighting Date: Not recorded during the interview

Sighting Time: Not recorded during the interview

Location of Sighting: Cressy, Tasmania, Australia

Duration of Sighting: Not recorded during the interview

Witness(es): Reverend Lionel Browning and his wife, Mrs L Browning

Summary:

Browning states that the mountain range to the east was Ben Lomond.  There was a flat lake area and the Western Tiers were to their west.  The Sun was over the Tiers at the time.  Heavy rain cleared a little 15 minutes before sunset.  It was still raining to the east, the south and the north.

Image courtesy Whereis?

He was looking out a window of a residence.  His wife joined him there.  They were noting the rays of the Sun on the green grass.  Mrs Browning asked if he could see what she could see?  This cigar shaped object emerged from the storm.  It was initially partly covered by rain below the cloud base.  Then it fully emerged.  He initially thought it was a plane crashing but noted that it was travelling below the stalling speed for an aircraft.  From memory he thought it came out about a mile and a half (two to three kilometres).  Its distance from him was estimated to be up to three miles (five kilometres).  He had a clear view of it.  It was hard to estimate its size, distance or speed.

At the time he had contacted the local aerodrome and ascertained that there were no aircraft in the area.  He had telephoned the Age Newspaper, in Melbourne, but they did not follow up the story, instead the local paper published their sighting report.  About a week later, he was interviewed by an officer and two men from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

Beside the cigar, that he termed, ‘A mothership,’ he saw a number of smaller disc shaped objects.  They had a flat underside which always pointed towards the ground.  There was a thickness to them.

He put his head out of a window in his house to get a better view.  The, ‘Mothership,’ was stationary.  Discs suddenly appeared at the southern end.  One came from the north and one from the east.  They converged on the, ‘Mothership.’  The two which came from north and east were travelling fast and, ‘Skipping like stones over water.’  At times he could see their undersides.

The group of discs and the two that converged came to the northern end of the, ‘Mothership.’  They all started to go back into the rain storm.  One of the saucer’s forward edge tipped.  He lost sight of it as it was pointing down at a 30 degree angle; the front end appeared to have dipped.

Other sightings occurred in Tasmania around this time.  He did not investigate any of these sightings.  The paper investigated reports.

Associated with the sightings there were unusual sounds.  One was on the night of their sighting, between 2000 and 2100 hours.  He personally heard two of these, ’Explosions.’  It sounded like a steel bar being struck, and was extremely loud.  Cattle and sheep were disturbed and dogs barked.  A man at the end of town saw a coloured object in the sky.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) investigated a sighting by a mother and daughter who saw a hovering object near their home.  They stopped their car to get a closer look.  The RAAF spent a day investigating this sighting.

Family sights object - Port Moresby - 1962

Hi all,

Continuing my series of posts drawn from material audio recorded by the late Professor James E McDonald, during his visit to Australia in 1967. This post describes details of McDonald's interview with a Mrs I Naughton; her son Kenneth, and daughter Serena, about their observation of an unusual object 'a little before dusk' on an evening in late February 1962 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The whole experience is said to have lasted for several minutes. 

Port Moresby 1962

Image courtesy of Google maps

At the time of this interview, the Naughtons’ were living at 15 Grandview Street, Pymble, Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia.  The interview was conducted by telephone, with breaks when Mrs Naughton consulted with her husband over various aspects of the sighting.

The date of the sighting was first believed to be February/March 1962, then Mrs Naughton decided it was late February 1962.  The family were living in the Ela Beach area of Port Moresby, the capital city of Papua New Guinea.  They lived in a house on a cliff overlooking the bay.  She was standing on the front balcony of the house, facing the water.  Her husband was inside and only saw the end of the sighting.  At the time of the sightings her son, Kenneth, was aged 10, and daughter, Serena, aged 7, they were both nearby at the time of the sighting.

Mrs Naughton, saw a rowing boat, stationary in the water below the house, with two ‘men’, sitting down in the boat.  She watched this boat for five minutes.  Then she looked at the top of a nearby mountain, where there was a red anti-aircraft collision beacon.  She saw, ‘This thing,’ come around the mountain.  It was round and appeared to be a grey/steel colour.  It travelled over the bay in front of her, then turned to the left of her; turned again and hovered over the rowing boat.  It stayed there for, ‘A couple of minutes,’ then departed.  Her son was jumping up and down.  Her daughter called Mr Naughton to come and look at it.

The object signals

While the object had been over the boat, ‘Signalling,’ began.  A white light came down from the object and shone on the boat.  A fainter light shone from the boat towards the object.  The light on the object flashed on and off.  The light from the boat, shone upwards, like a torch.  She thought the signalling appeared, ‘Contrived.’

The object had a red light around its rim.  Asked about its shape, she replied, ‘That it was like a dinner plate.’  It was saucer like, flat on the bottom and rounded on the top.  She thought there was a little dome on the top, but said her son and daughter didn’t see this.  Around the rim of the base were a series of individual red lights.  She had the impression this was due to red light shining out of portholes in the object.  These red lights were not rotating or blinking.  The signalling white light came from the right-hand side rim, near the bottom.  The shape of the object was symmetrical around its central axis.  It was distinct in outline and therefore, not blurred.

After further questioning, by McDonald, she stated that she had not seen the underneath of the object as it had hovered level with their cliff top house.  She estimated the house was 30 metres above the water.

The light flashing from the object seemed to be in a pattern, of 1-2-3-4 down, and then a light from the boat below signalled the same sequence.  There were then other sequences of flashing lights passing between object and the boat.  She was unable to estimate the duration of this signalling.

The figures in the boat were sitting down.  The ‘man’ in the front was doing the signalling to the object, using a torch.

Image courtesy Google maps

Another sighting

At this point Mrs Naughton made a reference to another sighting, by a man named Allan Davis.  The day after the Naughtons’ sighting, she heard from Mr Davis, a neighbour of theirs who had a nearby flat, that in 1957, over the same bay, Davis sighted a ‘Flying saucer.’  He said that at 2 am one morning, in bright moonlight, he had seen an unusual object, signalling.  Davis worked for the Australian Department of Civil Aviation.

McDonald asked Mrs Naughton if in 1962, there had been talk of Indonesian espionage in the area?  She said there had not.

McDonald mentioned the 1959 Reverend Gill sighting, and Mrs Naughton stated that she had read about it in the papers, and that she was aware that Gill had an excellent reputation.  She had never met him.

McDonald asked what Mrs Naughton thought the family had seen that evening in 1962?  She said she thought it was a, ‘Scout ship,’ that had been around since biblical times and watching our development; perhaps later to contact us when we had space travel.  She had come to this conclusion since 1962.

McDonald then spoke to Serena, then aged 12.  Serena’s account was that there had been a, ‘Flying saucer,’ near the house, and a boat in the water, they were signalling to each other.  The object had been white, with five to six lights around its rim.  In shape, it looked like two saucers stuck together.  She did not see the dome her mother thought she had seen.  The object finally turned around and quickly moved off.

McDonald spoke to Kenneth, then aged 15 years.  Kenneth said he saw the object come around the hill into the bay from his right.  It was long and slender in shape.  It was a shiny colour, silver and not very shiny.  It had lights around its rim, which appeared to be reddish.  He saw an exchange of light flashes between object and boat.  The object finally left, after hovering.  It went upwards and was lost from view, very quickly.

McDonald returned to speaking with Mrs Naughton and asked her about the diameter of the object.  After much discussion she settled on a diameter of half a metre at three metres distance.  She said that at no time was there any noise associated with the object and there had been no flames during its departure.  She had seen nothing like it since.

Unknown object on ground - Oslo, Norway - 1943

Hi all,

This post continues with material drawn from audio recordings made by James E McDonald, during his visit to Australia in 1967.

One of the individuals whom McDonald interviewed, was a Mrs I Palmer, of Melbourne, Victoria. She told McDonald about a sighting which had occurred in December 1943, some 30 kilometres from Oslo, the capital city of Norway. The whole event lasted some twenty minutes, and was observed by Mrs I Palmer; a Captain L Witzke; a Mr O Ortland and some other not named Norwegians. 

After I provide the details found in the audio recording, I will add some additional information from an issue of the Australian Flying Saucer Review, published in 1967. 

The event - from the audio recording

Two Norwegian families saw these lights.  It wasn’t talked about at the time, as the Second World War was taking place during this time.

Three cars were travelling down a mountain, in Oslo Fjord, 30 kilometres from Oslo, Norway.  The occupants of the cars saw a, ‘Strange thing,’ on a clear night.  It was a moving coloured light.  It was initially seen as a light, then as an object on the ground.  The object was 18 metres in diameter and on the ground.  It looked like a big church bell, but flatter.  They actually saw the light settle on the ground.

Image courtesy Google maps

It was first seen as a yellow/orange coloured glow, 500 metres away.  They saw it over the fjord, and coming towards them.  They thought it was an explosion and then it came closer.  The engines of all three cars stalled at a point where they saw the object on the ground.  They later thought, ‘Magnetism,’ may have caused the cars to stall.  They all got out of the cars and walked towards the object.  The object then departed straight upwards, before turning and travelling away horizontally.  The object may have been warm, because the snow had melted in an 18 metre diameter circle where the object had landed.

Mrs Palmer said that she had heard of other sightings as follows:

1. Same type of object seen in the north of Denmark.  Tractors, etc, could not be started.  Date unknown. 

2. Near Hanover, Germany in about 1948, ‘A crop circle,’ was found.  An object was seen in the cornfield.

The Australian Flying Saucer Review

AFSR 1967 Number 5 front cover

The December 1967 issue of the Victorian edition of the Australian Flying Saucer Review (number 5) on page 17, carried an article titled 'UFO lands in Norway - in 1943. Witness described first recorded E-M case. By Neville Thornhill.

The former secretary to a Norwegian shipping corporation executive has reported a strange sighting of a UFO with accompanying E-M effects, which she and friends observed on the Oslo Fjord.

The witness (personal particulars on VFSRS file) says the sighting occurred between 10 and 11 o'clock one night in December 1943. Her report is a s follows:

"The sighting occurred as some friends and I were having supper opposite the wharf in Oslo Fjord. Suddenly, we saw a light which appeared to be on the wharf. Fearing sabotage, we hopped into our cars and drove to the wharf. As we drove around the mountain road, we entered an 's' turn. When we were approximately on the inner 's' of the turn we were in a direct line with the object. At this stage all three cars stalled and could not be started again.

Leaving the cars we travelled down a snow-covered hillside towards an object which appeared to be an orange light shaped like a church bell.

As we came out of the trees to some open flat land where the object was stationary on the ground, my three companions wanted to stay behind in case some sort of sabotage was taking place. This I refused to do, and so all four of us approached close to the object from which was emanating a hissing sound like air being released from an air compressor. On hearing this, I threw myself in the snow fearing that someone was going to start shooting at us.

Moments later, the object rose up and hovered some 9 or 18 feet above the water. It then moved off at a fantastic speed without any apparent acceleration. Finally, it turned to a deep blue colour as it disappeared from sight towards the open Oslo Fjord.

As soon as the object had disappeared, my companions and I examined the spot where it had rested and observed a crater-like impression which looked like a saucer from a tea cup. The inner ring of the depression was about four and a half feet in diameter and about three feet deep. Outside this diameter, the snow had melted as though heat had been generated by the object. The heat had caused the snow to melt in such a way that that at a distance of 54 feet the snow had not melted at all, whereas inside this diameter the snow had melted gradually, until at four and a half feet it had melted completely.

The cars stalling, the crater in the ground and the bell like light moving away. What was it at this early stage where only the V-2 rocket had been developed?"