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Saw @ genuine UFO," says an Air Force Intelligence report dated October il, 1955, and classified Top Secret at the time, Senator Russell served 38 years in the Senate. He was its senior member and one of the most influential senators at the time of his death in 1971. He was chairman of the Armed Services Committee from 1951 to 1969, and unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1952. The documents detailing his UFO encounter were made available to Phenomena Research by the Fund for UFO Research and its chairman, U.S. Navy physicist Dr. Bruce Maccabee. The documents were obtained by the group through the Freedom of Information Act. "These long-secret documents are of major importance because they show for the first time that one of the most powerful U.S. Senators witnessed and reported a UFO," said Dr. Maccabee. “This case is also unique because the CIA took the sighting seriously." The Air Force Intelligence report says Russell and his two traveling companions spotted the UFOs on October lh, 1955, while traveling by rail across Russia's Trans-Caucasian region. “Qne disc ascended almost vertically at a relatively slow speed, with its outer surface revolving slowly to the right, to an altitude of about 6000 feet where its speed then increased sharply as it headed north," the report states. "The second flying disc was seen performing the same actions about one minute later. The take-off area was about 1-2 miles south of the rail line..." Russell “saw the first disc ascend and pass over the train" and went “rushing in to get Mr. Efron (Ruben Efron, his interpreter) and Col. Hathaway (E.U. Hathaway, his aide) to see it,” the report said. "Col. Hathaway stated that he got only a short glimpse of the first. However, all three saw the second disc and all agreed that they saw the same round...disc-shaped object...as the first." The Air Force report was written by Lt. Col. Thomas Ryan, who interviewed Senator Russell's companions in Prague, Czechoslovakia, on October 13 after they arrived there from Russia shortly after the sighting. In his report, Col. Ryan called the sightings "an eyewitness account of the ascent and flight of an unconventional aircraft...by three highly reliable United States observers.” He added that Col. Hathaway led off his account of the sightings by saying: "I doubt if your going to believe this, but we all saw it. Senator Russell was the first to see this flying object...we've been told for years that there isn't such a thing but all of us saw it..." CIA documents show that the agency later interviewed the three eyewitnesses in the Russell party --and also a fourth person, unidentified in the reports, who had seen the UFOs. An eye-witness--whose name was blacked out on the CIA report prior to its declassification--said one of the UFOs “had a slight dome on top." The edge of the disc was glowing pinkish-white, he added. The UFO rose “vertically” with the glow moving slowly around the perimeter in a clockwise direction, giving the appearance of a pinwheel. Interpreter Ruben Efron told the CIA that visibility was excellent. As one UFO approached the train, he said, “the object gave the impression of gliding. No noise was heard and no exhaust glow or trail was seen by me.“ After the encounter, Senator Russell told the men with him: “We saw a flying disc. I wanted you boys to see it so that I would have witnesses," according to the CIA documents. And an FBI memo dated November 4, 1955, also discusses the Sighting--and admitted Col. Hathaway's testimony "would support existence of a flying disc..." Dr. Maccabee of the Fund For UFO Research believes Senator Russell and his group never publicly revealed their incredible sightings “because they were no doubt advised not to talk. These documents provide startling new evidence that UFOs exist." PILOT SIGHTINGS 10/12/86--0VER GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA--5:50 PM: The pilot and co-pilot of an alrliner watche n amazement as a large delta-shaped object, accompanied by several small objects, flew under their plane at a very high rate of speed on the co-pilots side. The distance between the aircraft and the objects was less than 1500 feet. The objects were not picked up on radar. 1/0 (ben wEe ANCHORAGE. ALASKA=-6:45 PM: A bright silver oscillating sphere was observed by the pilot of a Cessna 185 flying southbound. The sphere, estimated to be 16 feet in diameter, flashed past the plane on the left side at a distance of 250 feet and at a speed of about 500 knots. Both object and aircraft were at an altitude of OOO feet. (4)