July 17, 2005
Green Fireball and Ghost Rocket Chronologies
Joel Carpenter has produced two excellent Chronologies
which examine in detail two of the most enduring aerial
mysteries of modern times.
Green Fireballs Over Los Alamos
introduces us to the "New Mexico Missile Crisis," a time
when mysterious "green fireballs" were seen in the skies
of the American Southwest overflying Top Secret military
installations.
In a Green Fireball Chronology
Joel Carpenter traces the history and people involved
in trying to determine the origins of the elusive fireballs:
Secret Russian weapons, a natural phenomenon, or something
"not of this world"?
Before the 1947 wave of "flying saucer" sightings, there were
mysterious objects being seen in the skies of Scandinavia.
These "Ghost Rockets" were detected both visually and on radar,
but their origin could not be determined. Had the Russians
been able to exploit captured German rocket technology so
quickly, or were these "ghosts" the precursors to the flying saucer
and Green Fireball sightings? In a
Ghost Rocket Chronology, Joel explores the wide-ranging
attempts to resolve and explain the "Ghost Rockets" during
a time of rising political tensions and advances in rocket
technology.
July 14, 2005
Keith Basterfield's New Catalogues
Australian researcher Keith Basterfield has completed
work on seven recently updated catalogues which cover
many aspects of UFO research.
These catalogues cover UFO sightings by
aircraft passengers and crew, physical trace
cases, UFO reports where photographs were
taken, EM effects on vehicles, entity sightings
and a comprehensive listing of UFO-related
events in South Australia, the home of the
Woomera Rocket Range.
Keith's catalogues can be read here
March 1, 2005
Minot AFB B-52 UFO Report
In 1968 numerous ground and air witnesses observed an unconventional
aerial object as it maneuvered over the ICBM fields surrounding Minot Air
Force Base, North Dakota.
Portions of this dramatic incident were recently dramatized in the ABC
News Special television documentary Peter Jennings Reporting: UFOs:
Seeing is Believing
Thomas Tulien, Chairman of the Sign Historical Group, and James
Klotz, veteran CUFON researcher, have been investigating these dramatic
events for over five years and are close to releasing their comprehensive
report. Details of the Minot AFB B-52 UFO Incident report can be read here.
October 30, 2004
Just days after the Kenneth Arnold sighting of
"flying saucers", the crew of United Air Lines
flight 105 had their own astonishing encounter
over Emmett, Idaho, on July 4, 1947.
January 3, 2004
Inventory of Material From The Files of Dr. Olavos T. Fontes
Dr. Willy Smith recently donated his collection of
files to the Sign Historical Group. Included
in this material were many items from the files of
the renowned Brazilian UFO researcher,
Dr. Olavos T. Fontes. An inventory of this material, along
with Fontes-related items provided by other researchers, can
be read here. A selection of
Internet links referring to Fontes-related cases is also included.
October 13, 2003
Ball Lightning Bibliography
Barry Greenwood's Ball Lightning
Bibliography has
been updated. This joins Barry's other indispensible
collection of bibliographies and articles databases available
in the Barry Greenwood
Archives Page
June 9, 2003
"Operation Charlie"
"Six months before Kenneth Arnold's seminal sighting of a formation of nine
strange objects above the Cascade Mountains, unidentified flying objects were
tracked by Britain's Air Defence radars..."
The Royal Air Force's response to repeated visits from what official
records described as "an unidentified high-flying aircraft" is detailed
in "Operation Charlie", a detailed examination of a
mystery "ghost plane" that was first reported traversing British skies in
January, 1947.
David Clarke's detailed research into "Operation Charlie"
includes evidence collected from the Public Records Office (PRO), newspaper
archives and former Royal Air Force Personnel. Martin Shough provides a thorough
Technical Analysis of the "Operation Charlie"
radar tracks.
June 9, 2003
SHG - Civilian Saucer Investigation-LA
In late 1951 several scientists, aeronautical engineers and
interested persons founded a UFO study group in California which
they called "Civilian Saucer Investigation-Los Angeles" (CSI-LA).
In just a few years, CSI-LA's dedication and science-based methods
of research and investigation attracted the attention of other UFO researchers,
mainstream media outlets such as LIFE Magazine, and
government organizations ranging from the US Air Force, to the CIA.
Read the background to CSI-LA and related documents and
publications on the CSI-LA Index Page.
December 5, 2002
Barry Greenwood Catalogue Updates
Barry Greenwood's collection of indispensible
bibliographies and article catalogues has
been updated. His Ball Lightning
Articles
database has been expanded and revised, and new entries have
been added to the Barry Greenwood UFO
Clippings listing.
September 8, 2002
Major additions to the Sign Historical Group website.
After many months of work and preparation, the Sign Historical
Group is pleased to announce several major additions to its
collection of historically important documents and articles.
Read Tom Tulien's Introduction and background
to the latest additions to the Sign Historical Group website:
— Politicking and
Paradigm Shifting: James E. McDonald and the UFO Case Study,
the Ph.D. dissertation of Dr. Paul McCarthy.
— Final Report of the
Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects, a.k.a. The Condon
Report.
— United States House
of Representatives, Committee on Science and Astronautics, Symposium on
Unidentified Flying Objects, July 1968. Washington, D.C.
— A detailed collection of Links and Articles providing background, critiques and commentary on Dr. Edward U. Condon, the
Condon Report, and the House Committee on Science and Astronautics
Symposium on Unidentified Flying Objects, July, 1968.
13 May, 2002
The Wendy Connors Archives
Wendy Connors heads the Faded Discs Archive in Albuquerque, NM.
She is a founding member of the Sign Historical Group and specializes
in the important field of preserving rare historic recordings and photographs
related to UFO phenomena.
Wendy has kindly provided a listing of her current holdings as an introduction to
The Wendy Connors Archives.
5 May, 2002
Barry Greenwood Catalogue Updates
Barry Greenwood's collection of indispensible
bibliographies and article catalogues continues
to grow. His Ball Lightning Articles
database has been expanded and revised, and new entries have
been added to the Barry Greenwood
Archives Page.
3 March, 2002
The Ray Fowler Archives
Ray Fowler chaired the Massachusetts Investigative Subcommittee of the
National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP).
"Mass Unit 1" was well known for its comprehensive and rigorous
investigations into UFO reports.
After the demise of NICAP, Mr. Fowler continued to investigate
UFO reports and shared his research with with CUFOS, MUFON,
and the
"Colorado UFO Project", also known as the Condon Committee.
Mr. Fowler has passed on his UFO case files to Barry Greenwood,
and The Sign Historical Group is pleased to present these
first listings of material from The
Ray Fowler Archives
7 December, 2001
"How to Investigate UFOs"
"How does one investigate a transitory phenomenon which appears
suddenly, to unprepared observers over a very small area, and under
conditions which are not understood...?"
Many groups and individuals have wrestled with this question
during more than 50 years of UFO investigation.
In How To Investigate UFOs,
Jan Aldrich outlines the difficulties involved in this endeavour
and presents sources and documents that might assist in the
understanding of what is often a short-lived and mysterious
phenomenon.
9 November, 2001
Sign Historical Group Workshop Proceedings Online
"UFO history and the experiential aspects of the phenomenon exist,
regardless of the actual nature of the phenomenon..."
During Memorial Day Weekend of May 29-June 1, 1999, a workshop was
organized in Chicago with the intent to explore the current state of
UFO History. One result of this meeting was the formation of the
Sign Historical Group and the subsequent publication of
The Proceedings of the Sign Historical Group UFO History Workshop.
The Proceedings is an invaluable addition to the collection of any
serious UFO historian, and we are honored to make this publication
available online here.
19 September, 2001
Barry Greenwood Catalogue Updates
Barry Greenwood's collection of indispensible
bibliographies and article catalogues continues
to grow. His Ball Lightning Articles
database has been expanded and revised.
Barry has also updated his UFO Periodicals
Index, and index of Non-English UFO
Magazines.
Ball Lightning Articles Catalogue
"Ball Lightning is a poorly understood, probably natural
phenomenon that may account for some eyewitness reports
of the sighting of a UFO..."
Barry Greenwood has compiled a listing of
Ball Lightning Articles that
may help investigators to determine whether this phenomenon
has played a part in UFO reports.
18 July, 2001
GSW/CIA Lawsuit Documents
In 1997, Gerald K. Haines, the current CIA's chief historian,
published A Die Hard Issue: CIA's Role in the Study of UFOs,
1947-90. In his article he recounted the CIA's historical
interest in UFOs and claimed that many unexplained
UFO sightings were in fact Top Secret reconnaissance
missions flown by then-classified aircraft such as the U-2
and A-12/SR-71.
Haines' article led researchers to re-examine past
dealings with the CIA, in particular the
1978 Freedom of Information lawsuit
undertaken against the CIA to reveal their holdings
of UFO-related materials. Many issues and events
in UFO history were raised in this court action which
were not dealt with by Haines.
Project 1947 is pleased to present
three of the Filings documents from The
Ground Saucer Watch (GSW)/CIA Freedom of Information
Lawsuit
18 July, 2001
To provide easier navigation around the ever-growing
PROJECT 1947 website, we have installed a "Google"
Search Engine.
2 July, 2001
Update of Barry Greenwood's UFO Articles Database
Barry Greenwood's comprehensive listing of
UFO and UFO-related articles that span from the 1600s
to the present has been updated.
View the database at the SHG Barry Greenwood Archives
14 March, 2001
New Catalogue from Keith Basterfield
Keith has recently compiled A Catalogue And Analysis Of Australian ‘Angel Hair’ Cases
A rare phenomenon sometimes associated with UFO sightings is "Angel Hair," a
thin fiber-like material that in some cases resembles "spiders' web." Keith Basterfield
has produced a detailed collection of "Angel Hair" cases and analyses that adds considerably
to the study of this peculiar aspect of UFOlogy.
9 December, 2000
The Roswell Page
Additional Roswell-related documents can be accessed from the
The Roswell Page.
The Sign Historical Group
Additions to the Barry Greenwood Bibliography Database, and new folder
inventories from Barry Greenwood and Jan Aldrich are now available
on The Sign Historical Group Barry Greenwood
Archives Page.
15 September, 2000
The Roswell Page
When PROJECT 1947 was established as an inquiry into the UFO wave of 1947 - one
of the largest UFO waves in history - it was not envisioned as dealing exclusively with the
so-called "Roswell Incident," the alleged crash of an alien spaceship and
subsequent involvement of the U.S. military.
In the course of research for PROJECT 1947 various documents and
archives have yielded information and clues which might result in a better understanding
of what might or might not have occurred at Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.
Visit the PROJECT 1947 Roswell Page
for an important article from Prof. Charles B. Moore regarding claims about
radar tracking of the Roswell "UFO", a review of The Search For
Records on Roswell by Jan L. Aldrich, and a collection of Roswell links.
Schweinfurt - A Mystery Solved?
UFOlogy's most often-quoted World War II "foo fighter" encounter
occurred during an allied bombing raid over Schweinfurt, Germany, in October of
1943. British researcher Andy Roberts has now located official documentation
that confirms the "flying discs" sighting and offers new information as to its
possible origins.
Andy has kindly provided Schweinfurt -
A Mystery Solved?
to the Project 1947 articles archive
UFOs: Government Involvement, Secrecy, and Documents
Official government UFO records go back longer than most
people realize. Before Kenneth Arnold, before the Ghost
Rockets and Foo Fighters of World War II, there was the
New London Harbor incident of 1813. Discussed in Congress,
this was the first "UFO" event to provoke official interest.
In UFOs: Government Involvement, Secrecy, and Documents,
noted UFO researcher Barry Greenwood examines the role of
officialdom and the military in the investigation of the modern UFO phenomenon.
Barry Greenwood's Government File Folder Headings
Comprising over 25 years of research, FOIA requests and
background information, Barry's holdings represent a unique
insight into official interest in UFO phenomena.
View these records in the SHG Barry Greenwood Archives
Barry Greenwood's "Topical UFO" File Listings
"Topical" files are those which are difficult to fit into other
general categories. They are informational records, often found as
"Vertical Files" in libraries, which provide background on a broad range of
issues. Barry Greenwood has assembled a list of his "topical
UFO" holdings that will be of interest to UFO researchers.
View this listing at the SHG Barry Greenwood Archives
Barry Greenwood's UFO Articles Database
Barry Greenwood has assembled a comprehensive listing of
UFO and UFO-related articles that span from the 1600s
to the present.
This database is just one of several invaluable bibliographies
that Barry is working on, and the Sign Historical Group is
proud to host this remarkable contribution to the study of
the UFO phenomenon.
View the database at the SHG Barry Greenwood Archives
New Top Secret UFO Document Found
On the 4th of November 1948, U. S. Air Force, Europe
(USAFE), Intelligence (A-2) sent a long Telecon (telephone
conversation) Transcript (TT) to Headquarters, Air Force Director
of Intelligence (DI) at the Pentagon. The cable contained a number
of Top Secret items, including references to UFO sightings in
Germany and reports of an attempt to recover a crashed
"mystery object" from a lake in Sweden.
Read Jan Aldrich's expanded and revised article on Top Secret
Document USAFE 14, TT# 1524 which first
appeared in the April, 2000 issue of the MUFON Journal.
New 1948 Documents
"1. As directed by Cover Sheet, dated 27 July 1948
subject "Pattern of Flying Saucers," a study was commenced
to determine the tactics of flying objects and the probability
of their existence."
The 27 July, 1948 Cover Sheet signed by Major-General C.P. Cabell,
originated the commencement of a study that would result in
"AIR 203", otherwise known as the "Analysis of Flying Object
Incidents in the United States". View the Cover Sheets and Documents here.
Kenneth Arnold Page
Read Kenneth Arnold's story in his own words as prepared for
an interview with intelligence agents from the USAAF on the
Kenneth Arnold Page.
This page also contains a biography of Arnold, a memorandum from one
of the special agents who interviewed him, and a transcript
of a conversation between Kenneth Arnold and famous
American journalist, Edward R, Murrow.
Project Silver Bug
"A research aircraft having a circular planform ... VTO characterisitics ...
The USAF requirement for achieving dispersed base operations...
"A possible solution to this problem has been proposed by A. V. Roe, Canada, Limited, in the form of their Project Y2 (Secret) operations. "
Project "Y2" was also known as Project Silver Bug, the SECRET
research effort whose demanding requirements resulted in a design that
resembled a "Flying Saucer."
See the Project Silver Bug documents and images.
PROJECT 1947 is grateful to researchers Bill Ralls and
Glenn Joyner for permission to host their collection of Silver Bug
documents, which Mr Ralls first requested through the FOIA in
1996.
AFSAB Minutes, March 17, 1948
The Air Force Scientific Advisory Board met at the Pentagon on March 17, 1948. During the session entitled
"Utilization of Technical Intelligence," Colonel Howard M. McCoy, Chief of Intelligence for Air Materiel Command, revealed that "UFO"
reports were being taken seriously and that a new research effort
was underway to study them: Project SIGN
View the excerpted AFSAB minutes.
(Special thanks to William LaParl for locating the document, and
to Bill Ralls and Glenn Joyner for providing the scanned version.)
Whatever the origins or "reality" of UFOs, the subject has had a dramatic
and enduring effect on society since the birth of the modern
UFO era.
The Sign Historical Group comprises
a group of scholars and researchers who are seeking to document
all aspects of the phenomenon, and share their findings through the
open dissemination of private archives, documents and publications.
Visit the SHG Home Page
to read the Statement of Purpose and
learn about the first publication from the group, The Sign Historical Group Workshop Proceedings.
Project 1947 is proud to host the Sign Historical Group webpages. The Sign Historical Group
does not necessarily endorse or subscribe to views and opinions expressed on
the Project 1947 site.
Joe Thompson and the Foo-Fighters
Major Joe Thompson was commander of the USAAF 109th Air Recon Squadron
during World War II.
While flying reconnaissance missions over the Rhine Valley in 1944,
Major Thompson experienced a "foo fighter"
sighting. In this 1966 article Joe
Thompson and the Foo-Fighters, Mr Thompson recalls his sighting and those of fellow
pilots.
Ghost Rocket Articles
Robert Wood of Aviation News ponders reports of sightings
and censorship about the 1946 "ghost rocket" wave in his editorial Russian Hail.
Marquis Child's 1946 column Washington
Calling describing reports of unidentified "flying bombs," that were the
precursor to the "ghost rocket" phenomenon.
With reports of the "ghost rockets" increasing, even U.S. Army journals
began to speculate on their possible origins. In Russian
Secret Weapons, Colonel C. H. Lonzo, U.S. Army (Retired) considers
whether these reports were propaganda, or Russian secret weapon
testing
Jo Chamberlin's December, 1945 "Foo Fighter" Article
Jo Chamberlin's American Legion Magazine article,
The Foo Fighter Mystery
was the most extensive article about "foo fighters" published after
the end of World War II.
Aircraft/UFO Encounter Summaries From the
Research of PROJECT 1947.
Jan Aldrich updates some cases in Dominique Weinstein's ACUFOE catalogue with these new
additions.
Jan has also compiled a collection of Notes,
References and Comments on ACUFOE and Related Matters
Articles by Dr Olavo T. Fontes
Two articles from famous Brazilian researcher, Dr Olavo T. Fontes.
Dr Fontes explores the reasons why The Air
Force Is Just As Puzzled As We Are About The Saucers.
A review of the 1966 Brazilian UFO flap in UFO Report From Brazil
Foo Fighter Articles
In Foo Fighters: The Story So
Far,
Andy Roberts examines the history of the "foo fighter" phenomenon.
WW II Document Research: In search
of
"Foo-Fighters". Andy Roberts investigates the often-quoted World War II "foo fighter" encounter during an allied bombing raid over Schweinfurt, Germany,
in October of 1943.
New Catalogue from Keith Basterfield
Keith has recently compiled his Draft Catalogue Of Reported UFO Cases Where Implants Are Mentioned
New USAF Documents from 1949
Jan L. Aldrich details two new important documents in his overview
of the USAF's response to the 1949 "UFO problem."
The documents include a SECRET briefing
for the USAF Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations by the USAF
Directorate of Intelligence, and a TOP SECRET
briefing to the Joint Intelligence Committee on "Unidentified Aerial
Objects."
Aircraft / UFO Encounters Catalogue
Dominique Weinstein, a French researcher based in Paris, continues to
compile a unique database of Aircraft / UFO Encounters
(ACUFOE).
The main sources for the core of this catalogue consist of
his own research and the extensive files of the highly respected 40 year
old French UFO journal, Lumières Dans La Nuit
ACUFOE is an ongoing project. Dominique continues to consult numerous publications, official records, and private files. Researchers in
France and other countries have contributed additional cases from around the world. As this work is constantly being updated, he welcomes additional cases,
further information on cases currently in the catalogue, and cases found
to be mistakes, hoaxes or IFOs.
The latest ACUFOE catalogue update will soon be offered to the public. The PROJECT 1947 Web Site is proud to host a small sample of Dominique Weinstein's catalogue.
Aircraft / UFO Encounters Prior to 1942
Jan Aldrich lists some pre-1942 Aircraft / UFO Encounters
British UFO researcher and author Paul Fuller has compiled some interesting
ground trace cases from Ted Phillips' Physical Trace Catalogue
The shape and performance characteristics of UFOs are many and varied.
In Close Encounters with Unknown Missiles,
respected Swedish researchers Clas Svahn and Anders Liljegren of the
Archives for UFO research (AFU), document some mysterious and possibly fatal
incidents between aircraft and unidentified missile-like objects.
A new addition to the website is the PROJECT 1947 Forum.
Many researchers affiliated with PROJECT 1947 have interests in
contemporary UFO research and we hope to showcase these efforts
in the Forum area.
The Forum's first contributor is Australian researcher, Bill Chalker,
who has provided us with articles demonstrating his wide-ranging
interests in all aspects of UFOlogy, especially his longtime efforts
in investigating ground trace cases.
One of the best known ground trace cases is
the 1966 Tully "saucer nest" found in Queensland, Australia.
Bill examines the case in detail with the help of official documents,
news accounts and an interview with the primary witness in The 1966 Tully Saucer "Nest" - A Classic UFO Physical Trace Case
Bill's interest in physical trace cases is further highlighted in his personal
Account of 'Angel Hair' Observation.
In Australian Aboriginal Culture and Possible UFO Connections, Bill explores possible parallels between aboriginal lore
and the modern-day UFO experience.
One view of the UFO phenomenon holds that the governments of the world
have accepted the reality of UFOs as vehicles from other planets.
Another perspective, based on once-classified official government
documents, is that while the subject of UFOs has been taken seriously, their origin and purpose remains a mystery.
In The Ultimate Secret - Fact or Fiction: The Australian Connection, Bill relates stories of Australian close encounters with "Men in Black" and alleged crashed saucer retrievals. The article illustrates
some of the vast reservoir of accounts and rumors that exist about
governments' involvement with the UFO phenomenon.
Material from government files appears quite tame when compared to the
more sensational tales recounted in the first article, but the
importance of official documents lies in the fact that they report how
responsible officials, military personnel, and otherwise solid citizens
have encountered various manifestations of the UFO phenomenon.
Having been allowed unprecedented access to previously restricted
Australian government UFO files, Bill is in a unique position to
extensively detail officialdom's approach to the "UFO problem" in
UFOs "Sub Rosa"
Down Under - The Australian Military & Government Role in the UFO
Controversy
Bill Chalker welcomes feedback and comments on his articles.
Top of Page
Limited copies of Charles Fort, The Fortean Society & Unidentified
Flying Objects are still available. (114 pp.)