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
# SECRET Bas Ltr fr Hqs, ANC, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton Ohio dtd 9 December 1949, Sub: Light Phenomena ## 2nd Ind. Hq AMC, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio 17 May 1950 TO: Director of Research and Development ,Hq, USAF, Washington 25, D. C ATTN: AFMRS-4 1. Since the date of basic correspondence this Command has been able to initiate subject project on a limited basis utilizing personnel and equipment which have become available at Holloman Air Force Base. For your information the investigation involves the following observational techniques: a. Optical tracking with Askania photo theodolites in order to provide trajectory data and photo records. b. Optical spectro-photography using standard cameras with suitable diffraction gratings. c. Radio spectrum analysis through the range from 500 kc to 4000 mc. This portion of the program will be shortly started with the Signal Corps providing equipment and personnel. 2. The request of this Command as contained in Paragraph 2 of basic correspondence is withdrawn. In view of this, prior RDB approval for the project is not believed necessary. This Command will take action to coordinate the project through normal channels. 3. In order to better evaluate the results of the investigation outlined in Paragraph 1 above, it would be very desirable to have the activities of the 17th District OSI at Kirtland Air Force Base re-initiate in making field investigations of light phenomena reports. Such reports would be important in the verification of any results of the project work at Holloman. It is therefore requested that action be taken for re-initiation of the 17th District OSI investigations for the period of this project. ## FOR THE COMMANDING GENERAL: Major General, USAF Director, Research and Development DOWNGRADED AT 8 YEAR INTERVALS: DECLASSIFIED AFTER 12 YEARS. DOD DIR 5200.10
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.