April 25, 1952. Dr. W
(biochemist) and Dr. Y (bacteriologist), both employed by a private company,
about 11:00 a.m. were driving to their office when Y saw something odd overhead
that seemed to be moving against the wind.
They entered the company parking
lot and got out of the car to look. Directly over a building across the street
was a small, metallic-looking disc, tilted at about a 20 degree angle and
rotating around a vertical axis, wobbling "like the motion of a disc in a
water meter".
The distance was estimated to be
about 50 ft, and the disc appeared to be 4-5 feet in diameter The wobble
allowed them to judge the thickness as about 1.5 feet as the disc proceeded
directly over their heads, continuing to rotate and wobble.
No sound or exhaust emission of
any sort was detected. It moved in an arc about 40-50 feet overhead very
slowly, perhaps 8-10 m.p.h. When it neared some railroad yards, the disc curved
around and made a fairly distinct turn, heading back toward them.
At this point Dr. Y suddenly saw
something else overhead, which Dr. W also then saw: a black object at high
altitude hovering motionless under an overcast (later determined to be about
10,000 ft). It was round, and apparently much larger than the silvery disc,
perhaps 100 ft in diameter
As they watched, two identical
objects came into position as if they had dropped out of the cloud overcast,
and the three objects jittered around like boats in a stream".
About this time the small disc
had neared again, still moving slowly. Suddenly it stopped spinning, hung
motionless for a moment, then rapidly climbed towards the NNE in the general
direction of Mt. Hamilton. At the same time that the small disc began its
climb, one of the three black objects left the formation and headed in the same
general direction. The black object and the climbing disc seemed to be on a
converging course, when suddenly both seemed to disappear into the overcast.
The remaining two black objects
maintained their original position for another minute or so, then one of them
headed off to the north and out of sight, while the other went directly up into
the clouds and disappeared, terminating the incident at about 11:15 a.m. The
two scientists immediately went into their offices and dictated accounts of the
sighting for a permanent record.
Dr. W felt obliged to make an
official report and placed a call to Moffett Field. While waiting on the line
for someone to be found to take his account, he had second thoughts about
exposing himself to personal ridicule and hung up, so no report was made to the
Air Force or other agencies.
Special significance: In addition
to the observation by scientifically trained witnesses, and loss of an official
report due to the ridicule factor, the scientists' reaction is instructive.
They had found it "a most disturbing experience:' They had been forced to
the conclusion that they had seen some objects of such unusual propulsion
characteristics that it was difficult to think of it as anything other than
extraterrestrial.
As Dr. W said, "...it
utilized some propulsion method not in the physics books." He had been
"worried ever since," mentioning historical evidence that inferior
civilizations tend to go under when contacted by more advanced technologies.
Source: Interview with Dr. W by
Dr. James E. McDonald; complete account including names and identifications in
author's files.
Dr James E. Mcdonald was probably one of the most important figures ever in the history of Ufology - he was also the Senior Physicist at the Institute for Atmospherical Physics and Professor at the Department of Meteorology at the University of Arizona.
Theres an interesting biography below detailing his work and research into the UFO subject -
it also mentions his feelings about the reliability (and intellectual honesty) of certain
'government conclusions and explanations' regarding specific UFO incidents:
Privately, McDonald analyzed all Project Blue Book case files, convincing him that the Air Force had performed an entirely inadequate investigation, which appeared to have been more concerned with internal politics rather than real science. He also reviewed the cases of the Air Force's sponsored University of Colorado UFO study, and concluded that many of their explanations were not well founded either.
Biography:
WHO's WHO in UFOLOGY
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Dr. James E. McDonald (1920-1971)
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Expertise:
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Short Biography
James Edward McDonald received his Ph.D. in physics from Iowa State University in 1951, then worked there as an assistant professor in meteorology. He was a research physicist in the University of Chicago's department of meteorology (1953-54). In 1954 he joined the University of Arizona faculty, first as an associate professor (1954-56), then as a full professor in the department of meteorology (1956-71). McDonald was also a senior physicist in the University's Institute of Atmospheric Physics, and served as both associate director (1954-56) and scientific director (1956-57). He also advised numerous federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, The Office of Naval Research, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Environmental Science Service Administration.
During the mid-late 1960s, McDonald became intensively involved in UFO research, interviewing hundreds of UFO witnesses and lecturing widely on the subject to professional societies. His talks emphasized the need for a serious scientific study, adding that he considered the best reports to be evidence of extraterrestrial visitation. He also played an important role in Congressional UFO hearings in 1968.
Privately, McDonald analyzed all Project Blue Book case files, convincing him that the Air Force had performed an entirely inadequate investigation, which appeared to have been more concerned with internal politics rather than real science.
He also reviewed the cases of the Air Force's sponsored University of Colorado UFO study, and concluded that many of their explanations were not well founded either. McDonald left no book but privately published many monographs based on his lecture presentations, some of which are included below.
Monographs
Science in Default - 22 Years of Inadequate UFO Investigations
The Problem of Unidentified Flying Objects
Meteorological Factors in Unidentified Radar Returns
UFOs And The Condon Report - A Scientist's Critique
Statement on UFOs - Hearings Before The Committee on Science and Astronautics Committee on Science and Astronautics, "Symposium on Unidentified Flying Objects -- Hearings Before The Committee on Science And Astronautics," U.S. House of Representatives, 19th Congress, Second Session, July 29, 1968.
McDonald Credentials compiled by Val Germann
Born: Duluth, Minnesota, May 7, 1920.
B.A., Chemistry, University of Omaha, 1942.
M.A., Meteorology, M.I.T., 1945. Ph.D.,
U.S. Navy, Intelligence & aerology, 1942-45.
Instructor, Physics, Iowa State University, 1946-49.
Physics, Iowa State University, 1951.
Assistant Professor, Physics, Iowa State University, 1950-53.
Research Physicist, Cloud Physics, Univ. of Chicago, 1953-54.
Associate Prof., Physics, Univ. of Arizona, 1954-56.
Full Professor,, Physics, Univ. of Arizona, 1956-57.
Senior Physicist, Inst. of Atmospheric Studies, 1958 - 1971.
Member, Weather Modification Panel, NAS, 1965 - 1971.
Member, Navy Stormfury Advisory Panel, 1966 - 1971.
Member, NSF Weather Modification Panel, 1967 - 1971.
Member, AAAS, American Meteorological Society,
Sigma Xi, American Geophysical Society, American Society of University Professors.
Married, Six Children
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Email Address & Web Site Information
Email Address:
N/A
Web Page:
None
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International Who's Who Directory
NICAP Home Page
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From the MUFON Journal, January 1997, Number 345
