The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-07-28
Radar Spots
Flying Saucers
By JERRY T. BAuLcH

WASHINGTON III haQar -
which normally doesn't show
something that isn't there - has
picked up flying saucers" near
the nations capital for the second
time within week.
Jet fighter pilots searched the
skies without directly contracting
anything during the six hours that
four to IL unidentified objects In
termittently appeared on radar
screens at Washington National
Airpot and nearby Andrews Air
Force Base.
One pilot said he saw four lights
approximately 10 miles away and
slightly above him but they dis
appeared before he could overtake
them. Later, the same pilot said,
he saw ga steady white light" five
miles away that vanished in about
q minute.
So far as could be determined,
this was the first time jets have
been sent on the trail of such sky
ghosts.
Officials carefully avoided men,
tioning flying saucers,' just as
they did when radar picked up
seven or eight unidentified objects
near Washington last Monday. But
the Air Force was expected to add
the report to its long list of saucer
sightings, which officials say are
coming in faster than at any time
since the initial furry in 1947.
An Air Force spokesman said all
necessary steps were being taken
to evaluate the newest phenome-
non.
Later an Air Force spokesman
said:
eve have no evidence they are
flying saucers; conversely we have
no evidence they are not flying
saucers. We don't know what they
are"
There was no agreement whether
the recent reports are the first of
such mystery objects appearing on
radar. At least, officials agreed
they are unusual.
Radar normally does not regis
ter anything without substance -
such as light. But it can pick up
such things as bird in flight or
a cloud formation. And one expert
said radar is not ;nfallible.
The Air Force reported that be-
tween four and IL unidentified OBJ
jects appeared at sos p. m. East
ern Standard Time Saturday night |
on the radar screen at the Air
Route Traffic Control Center OPP
Grated by the Civil Aeronautics Ad- |
ministration. Their position was es-
tmated at 10 miles east of Mount
Vernon, Va, which is near Wash
ington National Airport.
Word went to the Air Force,
which sent up two jet fighter in
terceptor planes from base at |
Newcastle. Del, some 90 miles !
from Washington.
When the planes appeared on the |
at approximately 1925 |
p. m, the CAA tried without sue
cess to guide the planes into con-
tact with the mystery objects. It |
was during this search that the pi-
lot made his two slghtings of |
lights.
The planes left for their base at |
12:40 a. m. and the two other Jets
took oyer and stayed in the area /
until 100 a. m. without making |
contacts. /
The pilot who spotted the lights |
said they were really moving -
faster than 600 miles an hour. But !
radar operators at Andrews Air /
Force base said they moved at
SLOW rate of speed" 49, IS to 80 !
miles per hour. This could mean /
the same pattern as last weeks |
slow moving objects
with bursts of speed. |
One woman in Washington re.
ported she saw "a very bright |
light" streak across the sky toward |
Andrews Base al about Ii:45
p, m. Later, she said, she saw an
object with a tail like a comet
whiz by and a few seconds later