Source Library · SRC-102 · Declassified military report
Joint Chiefs of Staff report: UFO sighting in Iran 19 September 1976
U.S. military / NSA FOIA · 1976
Joint Chiefs of Staff report: UFO sighting in Iran 19 September 1976 · 2 pages · PDF 0.2 MB
US federal government record (Joint Chiefs of Staff, NSA release). Public domain; hosted here so it can be read and searched. Original source ↗
Loading the page…
Text (2 pages)
This text is imperfect. It was produced by machine OCR (Windows.Media.Ocr (en-US), best of plain / 3x3 median at 300 dpi). Words are misread, redaction marks read as letters, and handwriting is mostly lost. Use it to find a page, then quote from the page image, not from this text.
Show the text of all 2 pages
Page 1
cont. from prev. page 76 Soe;ete Vouclus"nno d'Etudo Des Phenomenos Spat:aux 77 Union des amupements Esplotogiques d' France ot des Pays de Longue Frencalse Vatence 78 Verification et Etude des Orni pour Nimes Ia Contr•e Avoisante NERONICA) Nimes SPAIN 79 Centro de Estudlos Inter• planetarios (CEI) Barcelcr:a 80 Circulo d' Ettudlos Sobro Objectos no Identiflcados Vatencia PORTUGAL 81 Contro do Estudos Astronomicos o do Fonomonos Insolitos Lisbon BELGIUM 82 Group•ment pour l'Etud• des Sciences Brussels 83 Societe Bolge d'Etude des Phonomcn•s Spatlaux (SOBEPS) Brussels NTERNATIONAL NETHERLANDS 84 Nederlands UFO Bunau The Hague 85 NOBOVO Uithuizermeeder NORTHERN IRELAND 86 UFO Research Centre Armagh ITALY 87 Centro UFOt09ieo Nazionale Milan '8 Gruppo Clypeus 89 Independent National Com. mission for the Study of Anomalous Aorial Phenomena (CNIFAA) Bologna 90 Contact Intematlonal Rome Sl S.H.A.D.O. Genoa DENMARK 92 Dansk UFO Center Thisted 93 UFO Information (SUFOI) Kastrup 94 UFO Studiekmds Copenhagen FINLAND 95 The UFO Researchers ot Flninnd Turxu SCOTLAND 9S Edinburgh Unlvem:ty UFO Roso•rch Soclety Edinburgh SWEDEN '7 Aöetsgruppen for UF01091 Sodenalje 98 Gotesborgs IntormaUons Center for Old•ntitlerado Flygando Forem•l Goteborg Swedish UFO Research C.nt., Nassjo 100 UFO Motala WEST GERMANY 101 Centmtos Entorsehungsn•tz Auborgowohnllcher Phanomon. (CEN4P) Mannheim 102 UFO-SIC Berlin YUGOSLAVIA 103 ODISEJA Slovenija JAPAN 104 CAB International Yokohama NEW ZEALAND IOS Civilian Saucer Investigation Auckland 106 New Zealand Scientific Space Research Group Auckland AUSTRALIA 107 Austr•tlan Co-ordlnation Soctlon— Centre for UFO Studies (ACOS) • Gosford, New South Wales 108 Austr•'lan Flying Saucer Research Soelety Adelaide, South Australia 109 Queensland UFO Research Bunau Brisbane, Queensland 110 Tasmanian UFO investigation Center (TUFOTC) Hobart, Tasmanla 111 UFO Information Center (UFO'C) Lane Cove, Victoria 112 UFO Network Sydney, New South Wales 113 Vlctorla LIFO Research Society Moorabin. Victoria NCIDENTS OF NTEREST THE U.S. GOVERNMENT ETHE IRAN-CASE MORE INFORMATION ON THAT IRAN CASE . . . STRAIGHT FROM THE "TOP BRASS"! In II.JR Vol. 1, No. 1, a case in the Foreign Forum feature described an encounter between Iranian Air Force jets and a UFO which Played "cat and mouse" with them, appearing on radar and "paralyzing" their weapons and electronics systems when the jets attempted to open fire on it. In the interim, rumors began to circulate that a government document de- tailing the incident was being ex- amined by high government officials. UFO researcher Charles Huffer took an interest in securing a copy of this document while in Germany, but all his efforts met with official rebuffs. This past summer on a •trip to the United States, Mr. Huffer managed to obtain a copy of the original teletype message reproduced below which gives details of the case from the Pentagon, under the auspices of the Freedom of Information Act. What is particularly interesting about the document is the list of official agencies which received copies of the message. Briefly trans- gating the official acronyms, the document was received by the tol- lowing offices and agencies: the Secretary of state, the Central Intel- ligence Agency, the White House, the Air Force and Army Chiefs ot Staff, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Commander in Chief of U.S. Naval Forces in the Middle East, the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Air Force in Europe,. the European Defense Air Command, and the Commander in Chief of Forces in Europe. An impressive list! It-JR and others have been intrigued by the fact that this particular UFO report seems to have become the con- cern of the "top brass" in the U.S. military &fense structure. Do all UFO reports undergo this sort of distribu- tion and what happens to them once they reach these prestigious offices? 'UR contactecl the local state sen- ator's office Military Liaison Officer who was able to be of some assis- tance in the matter. She calied the Army, Navy, and Air Force offices in Washington as well as the Depart- ment of Defense and addressed these very questions on behalf of IUR. The answers were all these agencies agreea that the "top brass" mentioned in the distribution list were routinely ;ntormed of every item of interest which comes out of the sensitive Middle East area. Hence. it is not unusual at all that copies of the report should have made their way to these offices. All correspondence that makes the military wires from this area is so relayed. As to whether or not all UFO reports from every area are conveyed to these sources, that question must remain unanswered at this time except by implication: any report from a. "hot" area would be relayed. What happens to them once they reach the top brass is ano!her • thing. 'UR was not able to glean any information on whether or not there exist any files, or a normal procedure in dealing with UFO sightings. It-JR was also able to find some information on the allowed inter- national lighting configurations and colors. The initial, primary object, ac- cording to the report had alternating blue, green, red and orange lights. FAA Federal Aviation Regulation 43 (91 .1) on General Operation and Flight Applicability states that blue lights are not authorized on U.S. planes. Furthermore, the Inter- national Civil Aviation Organization states that blue lights -are illegal and that only cenain stringently specified light confirguations are allowable on aircraft-. However, IUR must point out that den in past sightingS personally. investigated, the witnesses have per- ceived the green navigat :onal lights of planes as blue or blue-green.
Page 2
VERBATIM WIRE MESSAGE This report forwards information concerning the sighting of an UFO in Iran on lg September 1976. A. At about 12: 30 AM on 19 Sep. 76 recelved four the telephone calls from citizens living in the Shemiran area of Tehran saying that they had seen strange objects in the sky. Some reponed a kind of bird- like object while others reported a helicopter with a light on. There were no helicopters airborne at that time. After he told the citizen it was only stars and had talked to Mehrabad Tower hé decided to look for himself. He noticed an object in the sky similar •sto a star bigger and brighter. He decided to scramble an F-4 from Shahrokhi AFB to investigate. B. At 0130 hrs on the 19th the F-4 took off and proceeded to a point about 40 NM (nautical miles—Ed.) North of Tehran. Due to its brilliance the object was easily visible from 70 miles away. As the F-4 approached a range of 25 NM he lost all instru- mentation and communications (UHF and intercom). He broke off the inter- cept and headed back to Shahrokhi. When the F-4 tumed away from the object and apparently was no longer a threat to it the aircraft regained all in- strumentation and communications. At 0140 hrs a second F4 was launched. The backseater acquired a radar lock on at 27 NM, 12 0'clock high position with the VD (rate of closure) at 150 NMPH. As the range decreased to 25 NM the object moved away at a speed that was visible on the radar scope and stayed at 25 NM. C. The size of the radar return was comparable to that of a • 707 tanker. The visual size of the object was difficult to discern because of its intense brilliance. The light that It tagaz üave off was that of flashing strobe ights arranged in a rectangular pattern and alternating blue, green, red and orange in color. The se- quence of the lights was so fast that all the colors could be seen at once. The object and the pursuing F-4 continued on a course to the south of Tehran when another brightly lighted object, estimated to be one halt to one third the apparent size of the moon, came out of the original object. This second dbject headed straight toward the F-4 at a very fast rate of speed. The pilot attempted to fire an AIM-9 missile at the object but at that instant his weapons control panel went off and he lost ali communications (UHF and Inter. phone). At this point the pilot initiated a turn and negative G diw to get away. As he tumed the object fell in trail at what appeared to be about 3-4 NM as he continued in, his turn away from the primary object the second object went to the inside of his turn then retumed to the primary object for a perfect rejoin. D. Shortly after the second object joined up with the primary object another object appeared tc come out of the other side of the primary object going straight down at a great rate of speed. The F-4 crew had regained communications and the weapons control panel and watched the object approach the ground anticipating a targe explosion. This object appeared to come to rest gently on the earth and cast a very bright light over an area of about 2-3 kilometers. The crew descended from their attitude of 25M to 15M and continued to observe and mark the object's position. They had some difficulty in adjusting their night visibility for landing so after orbiting Mehrabad a few times they FIRST PHOTOS OF GUATEMALA VIDEOTAPE The UFO aDout to pass behind a nearby tree ... In IUR, Vol. 2, No. 11, the Foreign Forum feature mentioned a case wherein a Guatemalan camera crew videotaping a car commercial turned . hayinaiusttmerged from behind the tme... their camera towards a "UFO" which fortuitously flew into their field of view. The Incident took place on Oct. 5, 1977 at 10:40 AM, In Guatemala 7 went out for a straight In landing. There was a lot of interference on the UHF and each time they passed through a mag. bearing of 150 degree from Fhrarad they lost their com- munications. (UHF and Interphone) and the ins fluctuated (instruments —Ed.) from 30 degrees-50 degrees' The one civil airliner that was ap- proaching Mehrabad during this same time experienced communications failure in the same vicinity (KILO ZULU) but did not report seeing any- thing. While the F-4 was on a long final approach the crew noticed another cylinder shaped object about the size of a T-bird at 10M [10,000 ft.— Ed.] with bright steady lights on each end and a flasher in the middle. When queried the tower stated there was no other known traffic in the area. During the time that the object passed over the F-4 the tower dig not have a visual on it but picked it up after the pilot told them to look between the moun- tains and the refinery. E. During daylight the F-4 crew was taken out to the area in a helicopter where the object apparently had landed. Nothing was noticed at the spot they thought the object landed (a dry lake bed) but as they circled off the the west of the area they picked up a very noticeable beeper signal. At the point the return was the loudest was a small house with a garden. They landed and asked the people within if they had noticed any- thing strange last night. The people talked about a loud noise and a very bright light like lightning. The aircraft and area where the object is believed to have landed are being checked for possible radiation. More information will be forwarded. when it bécomes available. ... and moving 011 into the dlstance. City and lithe first incident, to our knowledge, of a color videotape recording a "UFO." Through the (cont. on nsxt page)
Record
- Author / institution
- U.S. military / NSA FOIA
- Date
- 1976
- Source type
- Declassified military report
- Used for
- CASE-021 contemporary reporting
- Limitations
- Secondhand forwarding of pilot claims; not independently verified causation