Unidentified Flying Objects: Project "Grudge" (Technical Report No. 102-AC 49/15-100)

These include five of New Mexico fireballs and the seven incidents that duplicated others or had no information. Therefore, 221 incidents are considered here. Of these, AKS concluded that 31 incidents could have been synoptic balloons, four of these were incidents that Dr. Hynek could not explain. In addition, AKS determined that ten more incidents could be attributed to astronomical phenomena. A discrepancy is noted in that, of the 31 which AKS concluded were balloons, Dr. Hynek has listed six as possible meteors. In the remaining 25, AKS and Dr. Hynek were in close agreement.

NOTE: The project files contain listing of over 200 weather stations within the U.S.A. A conservative estimate of balloon releases by these stations alone would number well over 500 per day.

C. Dr. G. E. Valley, General Study (Appendix "D"). Dr. Valley was requested to review all reports (Incident No. 1 thru 172 incl.) and provide 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 Dr. Valley's theories along these lines very closely parallel those of J. E. Lipp, Rand Corporation, Appendix "E.")

D. Rand Corporation, letter, 13 December 1948, and letter, 29 March 1949 (Appendix "B"). Rand provided a discussion of the special design and performance characteristics that are believed to distinguish space ships. Rand received files on Incidents No. 1 thru No. 233 for general analysis. Although the final report from Rand has not yet been received, Rand reported, in a letter (Appendix "B") based on study of the first 172 incidents, "to date, we have found nothing which would seriously controvert simple rational explanations of the various phenomena in terms of balloons, conventional aircraft, planets, meteors, bits of paper, optical illusions, practical jokers, psychopathological reporters, and the like."

E. 3160th Electronics Laboratory, Cambridge Field Station (Appendix F). 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 15 could possibly have been their balloons. Dr. Bynek's analysis did not conflict with any of these, and in some cases served as alight confirmation. However, of the 15, 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.

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F. Dr. P. K. Pitts, Air Material Command Aero-Medical Laboratory (Appendix 04). Dr. Pitts studied 212 incidents from a psychological point of view and concluded that there are sufficient psychological explanations for the reports of unidentified objects to provide