Minot Missile-Field Radar/Visual and Communications Incident

“Salas and Klotz quote Major Chester A. Shaw Jr.’s report as stating that radio transmission at Mike Flight was interrupted by static when the UFO came close to the missile site and that the static stopped when the object climbed.”

“Raymond E. Fowler is cited as recalling an unnamed Strategic Air Command officer who said that all types of sophisticated communications were instantaneously jammed on all frequencies during the UFO activity and who also described interceptor aircraft being outflown.”

“The book summarizes witness statements describing a bright object showing red, green and yellowish-white light, with brightness changes and repeated lateral/downward movement, disappearance and reappearance. The formal Air Force report recorded the shape as round, while one witness drew a silhouette described as rounded on top and bottom.”

“Faded Giant states that South Radar Base personnel detected the object with height-finder radar at varying altitudes up to 100,000 feet; one search-radar operator reportedly had the target continuously on scope for several hours and described it as isolated from other traffic or clutter.”

“The quoted Shaw report says the object appeared to descend and apparently land south of the missile area; when a strike team drove toward the reported location, radio contact was disrupted by static, and the glow later diminished before the object was reported to take off.”

“The book’s quoted Air Force chronology states that an F-106 interceptor was dispatched roughly two and a half hours after the first sighting and that no visual, aircraft-radar or infrared contact was established.”

“Salas and Klotz quote a January 4, 1967 response from First Lieutenant Roger D. Meyer to J. Allen Hynek stating that, after considering distance, weather, refraction and related factors, there was beyond reasonable doubt an object at or very close to an altitude of 8,200 feet.”

“Appendix D reproduces the August 30, 1966 Air Force UFO report filed under AFR 200-2. The form describes two objects, gives the primary object a round shape and red, greenish-yellow and white coloration, records ground-visual/ground-electronic observation, and states that the 786th Radar Squadron verified substantial altitude movement while the object moved slowly back and forth and up and down.”

“The reproduced Minot report comments state that radio static interrupted missile-site communications when the object came close and stopped when it climbed; South Radar reportedly supplied altitude information, corroborated a descent, and later confirmed two objects. The report uses apparent-landing language, says a strike team lost radio contact to static while approaching the area, and records an F-106 intercept with no contact.”

“Appendix D reproduces an investigator letter stating that SSgt Angel Camacho reported the target remained continuously on his radar scope until he was relieved, isolated from nearby aircraft, ground clutter or random noise except when the interceptor entered the area. The interceptor pilot reported no visual, airborne-radar or infrared contact despite being directed toward the radar target.”

“The reproduced Minot correspondence states that, after considering distance, weather, refraction and related factors, there was beyond reasonable doubt an object at or very close to approximately 8,200 feet for the cited radar/distance combination. The same correspondence separately considered a low white light seen near the horizon to have a high probability of being an approaching aircraft, showing that the investigator distinguished observations rather than treating every light as unidentified.”