Documents / Report
This declassified U.S. Air Force file contains the final report of Project Twinkle, dated 27 November 1951 and written by Louis Elterman of the Geophysics Research Division, together with related correspondence. The project was set up to investigate the green fireballs and other light phenomena around Holloman AFB and Vaughn, New Mexico, and it was run with Askania cameras. The report calls its findings essentially negative and recommends no further funding. In March 1952 the Directorate of Intelligence declined to declassify it.
“Nature”12 pages
# AIR FORCE CAMBRIDGE RESEARCH LABORATORIES 00. 92 In reply, address Commanding Officer. Attn: ERH 230 Albany Street Cambridge 39, Mass. 7 November 1949 SUBJECT: Report of Conference on "Green Fireballs" (Project Grudge) ## TO: Commanding General Air Materiel Command Wright-Patterson AFB Dayton, Ohio ATTN: MCREEO, Major G.H. Duncan 1. In accordance with instructions contained in classified letter from Chief of Staff, USAF to CG, AMC, subject "Light Phenomena," 14 September 1949, the undersigned attended a conference at Los Alamos on the subject of a phenomena observed in the northern New Mexico area. The phenomena has the appearance of a green fireball and because of the fact that it has been observed only (as far as can be determined) in the northern New Mexico area and only since the year 1947, has caused a high degree of apprehension among security agencies in the area. Two reports from the 17th District Office of Special Investigations (inclosures 1 and 2) summarizes present information on the phenomena. In view of the fact that the phenomena has been observed by independent and trained observers there is little doubt that something was actually observed. 2. Inclosure 3 lists those personnel attending the conference. 3. The first part of the conference was devoted to a summary presentation of all collected and organized observational information regarding green fireballs. The presentation was made by Dr. Lincoln LaPaz (Professor and Head of Department of Meteroritics and Mathematics, University of New Mexico) and Capt. Melvin E. Neef (17th District OSI, USA) Dr. LaPaz has been cooperating with the OSI investigators in the matter at their request and on an unpaid basis. Capt. Neef is the principal OSI agent on the case. Both Dr. LaPaz and Capt Neef have personally and independently observed the phenomena. 4. The second part of the conference was a discussion by the scientists present of various possible explanations and hypotheses concerning the phenomena. Little success was had. DOWNGRADED AT 2 YEAR INTERVAL DECLASSIFIED AFTER 12 YEARS. DQD DIR E200.10
Report, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. The text was read from the page images by an OCR model; expect the odd misread word. 29 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.