Evening star., 1952-07-22
IA. F. 'Ponders Calm.
Scientists 10 Probe
Objects in D. {. Sky
By Horry Lever

may be called in to probe the
Identity of the mysterious object.
Ireportedly seen in the sky arounc
Washington over the week end
Thoroughly f1ying-saucer con.
scious, the Air Force is taking
special cognizance Of the report o1
veteran Capital Airlines' Pilot s. C.
Casey" Pierman that he saw al
least seven unidentified objects ir
the sky between Washington ano
Martinsburg, w. Va. early Sunday
morning.
, His sightings jibe with those o1
Ianother transport pilot and other
persons in this area and as fal
away as River Edge, N. j., where
Associated Press Reporter Saul
Pett saw strange phenomenon
in the skies soon afterward.
i An Air Force spokesman last
might said a special investigator
from the Air Technical Intelli.
gence Center at Wright-Pattersor
Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, will
interview Capt. Pierman, a vet.
eran of more than II years serv.
ice. with Capital Airlines.
Will Tell Story.
Capt. Pierman told The Star BY
telephone last night, from his
home near Detroit, that he would
be very glad to tell his story tc
the Air Force investigator. The
pilot expects to be in Washington
Thursday or Friday.
On the basis of what it will learn
through Interrogation of Capt
Pierman and others, and from
press reports, the Air Force will
compile a report on this latest OF
saucer incidents. This report will
be submitted to- intelligence men
at Wright-Patterson for evalua-
ton. Then, it is understood, it
will be sent to leading American
scientists, who are on call from
the Air Force, for analysis.
An Air Force expert on flying
saucer reports last night said the
service is taking the current sight
ings "very seriously" as it has all
recent reports of strange objects
reported in the skies.
In the early Sunday morning
incidents, radar tracked the unin-
Identified aerial objects as they re-
portedly scared high over the
Washington area. There was some
difference of opinion in official
circles as to whether it was the
first time that radar had ever ac-
complished this.
Other 'Blips" Reported.
One Air Force officer said that
was so. Anther contended rada1
screens had several times shown
mysterious "blips." Another au-
thority contended the screen may
have been defective or disturbed
and produced objects that
shouldn't have been there. 1t was
all very confused.
The Air Traffic Control Center
at Washington National Airport
said its radar operators spotted
EIGHT of the objects around mid
night Saturday, all Of them flying
in the vicinity Of Andrews All
Force Base. in nearby Maryland.
No planes were dispatched in an
attempt to intercept the objects
the Air Force said. Operation
Skywatch" reported no sightings
This is the new around-the-clock
ground observer operation now un.
derway around the northern arc
of the country.
The story Of early Sunday
started both with Capt. Pierman
and observers at the Air Traffic
Control Center at National. They
could not see the reported objects
because their work place has nc
windows. The center, however
reported the fact that Capt. Pier
man and another transport pilot
saw the objects.
Seven Eerie Objects.
A Capital spokesmen said Flight
807, westbound for Pittsburgh and
Detroit. left National Airport at
las am, Washington time, Sun
day, and when between Washing
ton and Martinsburg, the objects
were sighted. This was between
2 am. and 2.30 am. Capt. Pier
man reported seeing as many as
seven of the eerie things in the
night sky.
They were described by him as
looking like falling shooting stars
without tails"
The airline official said National
Airport picked up radar "blips, :"
or contact with aerial objects.
Capt. Pierman, who was cruising