P12
Notes made from tape of Rev. Albert H. Baller, Jan 18, 195_ (guess 1957 JW)
CONFIDENTIAL #2459
Westover Field radar detects object coming from Pittsburgh. Jets close in near Westfield, Mass – one throws landing lights on top surface. 3-26-56
100-150 ft Ө 8-10’ thick
Green “neon” light around edge.
Tips up on edge at 45° & ascends to 30,000 ft, losing him.
Circular; top surface in stepped layers. No openings or portholes – only florescent light around edge. Was approaching at 700 mph – it easily escaped, at what he thought was 900 mph. No sound from object.
Informant (the tower man at Westover) watched it on radar scope.
16 jets sent up by tower man
Date: Last Monday of March, 1956 (26th)
Notice on Greenfield paper about jets being up – “sky full of them” – was reported in a smaller paper nearby.
Informant gave Baller a copy of the pilot’s official UFO report, & Baller sent it to Len Stringfield.
P13
Speaking of sightings, about two weeks ago, I had a rather unusual thing happen: I had a phone call from the “tower man” at Westover Field. He said that he had learned of my interest in “flying saucers” and thought I would like to hear about a recent “saucer scramble” at Westover Field. I said I surely would. So we agreed to meet the following day at a Greenfield restaurant where, over coffee, we talked saucers for an hour or so. Since I do not have his permission to publish any of this in any way, it will have to be passed on with that understanding. However, he related that on the previous Monday evening, while he was on duty, at about 9:30, the radar picked up an unknown “blip” indicating an object moving rapidly in their direction from the vicinity of Fitchburg, Mass. He said that they scrambled 16 jets and that with the help of radar; they guided them on a “collision course” with the approaching object. One of the jets, piloted by Captain F. E. Edwards, sighted the UFO near Northhampton and gave chase. Mu informant said that Capt. Edwards was able to get near enough to it to shine his landing lights on it and also to secure some pictures with his wing-cameras. The lights showed a large, silver disc-like device, some 100-150 ft in diameter and about 12 ft. through at the center, dropping off from the center to the rim in a series of “terraces”. The bottom was flat, or generally so. He said that shortly after the lights picked up the object it turned upward at a 45 degree angle and climbed at fantastic speed. He lost it at 30,000 feet. That’s the story and it seems quite typical.
BUILDING FOR THE MARY CHAMPNEY MEMORIAL
P14
CLASSIFIED 56 – 51 – 059
Daily Report, Control Tower 1 Westover AFB
Roger Victor Black Sec. Pers. Comm
Consist Report
OBSERVING STATION WESTOVER S.A.C | DATE
| 26 3 56
______|______
U . F. O. | REPORTING OFFICER
| F. E. Edwards Capt. USAF
______|______
TIME FIRST CONTACT ESTABLISHED 21:17 / 9:17 PM - - 9:31
OBSERVERS:
Paul Clark Civilian Tower Operator
James Bell sgt 1/c Tower Radioman
Track data |____tracking 117:5 | permanent plot
Aircraft alerted at |____9:17 210/76 | ______
Scrambled |____9:19 21:19 | airborne 9:22
Tracked constant |____ANG Westover Scram | 9:25_____
Equipment Nomenclature | HAL-B4992
Height Finder | ALD VK448
Modulator Constant Beam | Rotating Coil
| AFC - VES OK N.G.
P15
F. E. Edwards Capt USAF flying lead ship closed in an object close enough to illuminate it with landing lights.
Appx 100-150 Ft Diam.
8 – 12 Ft Thick
Observed green fluorescent glow around outer edge object climbed steeply and was lost at 30,000.
All spint (sp) allowed
All planes returned 9:48. All secure reported at 9:50.
P. C.
Thought you might like to see this “report”. No permission to use it, however, and would appreciate it returned at your convenience.