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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 ↗

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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

Link

https://www.nsa.gov/portals/75/documents/news-features/declassified-documents/ufo/us_gov_iran_case.pdf