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Project Twinkle Final Report (scan)

NICAP · 29 pages · text by OCR

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.

Open the PDF at page 25 Original source ↗

“Nature”12 pages

  • p. 2 …the fact that nothing of a security nature has been discovered. FOR THE COMMANDING GENERAL: ## 1…
  • p. 3 …Others can be attributed to natural phenomena such as flying birds, small clouds, and meteorites. There…
  • p. 8 …Post Contractual Inquiry In view of the unproductive nature of the contract with Land-Air, it…
  • p. 11 …La Paz, them to be classed as natural phenomena. The most recent that has come to…
  • p. 12 …Many of the sightings are attributable to natural phenomena such as flight of birds, planets, meteors…
  • p. 18 …number) appeared to be of a swirling nature, not unlike a flock of towering geese or…
  • p. 20 …Kaplan has concluded that the "green fireballs" are natural phenomena. 3. Correspondence relative to Dr. Kaplan…
  • p. 21 …Inasmuch as the phenomena appears to be atmospheric in nature it is recommended that the investigation…
  • p. 23 …Inasmuch as the phenomena appears to be atmospheric in nature, such an assignment is considered appropriate…
  • p. 24 …Inasmuch as the phenomena appears to be atmospheric in nature, it is recommended that the investigation…
  • p. 27 …the project personnel that this is a natural phenomenon. As long as a reasonable doubt exists…
  • p. 29 …have been reached concerning the origin or nature of the phenomenon which have been investigated. It…
Bas Ltr fr Hqs AMC, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio dtd 9 December 1949, Sub: Light Phenomena

Department of the Air Force, Hq., USAF, Wash. 25, D. C. 20 December 1949

TO: Commanding General, Air Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio

1. This headquarters concurs in the establishment of a project within the Air Force Geophysical Research Program in order to further investigate and secure quantittative data on the "Light Phenomena" observed in the Southwestern United States.

2. Prior to securing the approval of the Research and Development Board and accomplishing the necessary reprogramming within the Geophysical Sciences Budget, it will be necessary for you to prepare a project plan. This plan should include a statement of the problem, method of accomplishment, money, facilities and personnel required to make the necessary measurements. The funds requirement should be stated by object classification.

3. When this necessary information has been received from your command, this headquarters will take appropriate action to secure Research and Development Board approval. As soon as an approval is forthcoming, your command will be requested to initiate the project.

## BY COMMAND OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF:

B. G. HOLZMAN Colonel, U.S.A.F. Chief, Geophysical Sciences Branch Directorate of Research & Development Office, Deputy Chief of Staff, Material

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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.