23857122-0457-180273-0017

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These include five of New Mexico fireballs and the seven incidents that Guplicated others or had no information, Therefore, 221 incidents are considered here. Of these, AWS coneluded that 31 incidents could have been synoptic balloons, four of these were incicents that Dr. Hynek could not explain. In addition, A\WS determined that ten more incidents could be attributed to astronomical phenomena. A discrepancy is noted S in that, of the 31 which AWS concluded were balloons, Ir. Hynek has listed six as possible meteors. In the remaining 25, Ai and Dr. Hynek were in close agreement. NOTE: The project files cotain listing of over 200 weather stations within the U.S.A. A conservative estimate of balloon releases by these stattons alone would number well over 500 per cay. C. Or. G. E. Valley, General Study (Appendix "D'). Tr. Valley was requested to review all reports (Incident No. 1 thru 172 incl.) and provice any possible explanation. At the same time, he considered the possibility of supporting and propelling a solid object by unusual means. (It will be noted that Ir. Valley's theories along these lines ay ee parallel those of J. E. Lipp, Rand Corporation, Appendix pt . DR Rand Corporation, letter, 13 December 19,6, and letter, 29 March 199 (Appendix "E"). Rand provided a discussion of the special design and verformance characteristics that are believed to distinguish space ships. Rand received files on Incidents No. 1 thru No. 243 for © general analysis. Althotigh the final report from Rand has not yet been received, Rand reported, in a letter (Appendix "E") based on stucy of the first 172 incidents, "to date, we have found nothing which would seriously controvert simple rational explanations of the various phen- omena ih terms of balloons, conventional aircraft, planets, meteors, bits of paper, optical illusions, practical jokers, psychopathological reporters, and the like." Ee. %3160th Electronics Laboratory, Cambridge Field Station (Appendix "™), The Electronics Laboratory reviewed Incidents No. 1 thru No. 172 to determine whether any may have been sightings of special research balloons. ‘The Laboratory showed that 18 could possibly have been their balloons. Dr. !ynek's analysis did not conflict with any of these, and in some cases served as slight confirmation. However, of the 1%, three were thought to have been synoptic balloons. It was learned while obtaining this information, that numerous universities and laboratories are engaged in various types of research requiring the use of balloons. Even when the balloons are recovered, there is no certain way of determining their exact path. Fe Ir. P. Me. Fitts, Air Materiel Command Aero=Medical Lab- & oratory (Appendix "G"), Ik. Mitts studied 212 incidents from a psycho- logical point of view and concluded "that there are sufficient psycho- © logical explanations for the reports of unidentified objects to provide Declassification Authority: NND 57565