In 1978, ufologists Isabel Davis and Ted Bloecher announced that found that an elderly woman reported that in Webster, Massachusetts, on June 19, 1947, she had seen from her window a "moon-sized" object fly nearby with a "slender" figure inside dressed in what appeared to be a Navy uniform.
They indicated that the source of the report was the Worcester Daily Telegram, Worcester, Massachusetts, on page 1, for July 7, 1947.
Other, later ufology sources added that the pilot was sitting in the craft, and that it was a relative of the witness, the latter being a 70-year-old woman, who reported this by a phone call to the newspaper.
| Case number: | URECAT-001782 |
|---|---|
| Date of event: | June 19, 1947 |
| Earliest report of event: | July 7, 1947 |
| Delay of report: | 3 weeks. |
| Witness reported via: | By realtive who called a newspaper's office. |
| First alleged record by: | Newspaper. |
| First certain record by: | Ufology article Isabel Davis and Ted Bloecher. |
| First alleged record type: | Newspaper. |
| First certain record type: | Ufology article. |
| This file created on: | October 16, 2018 |
| This file last updated on: | October 16, 2018 |
| Country of event: | USA |
| State/Department: | Massachusetts |
| Type of location: | In Webster from inside hom throught the window. |
| Lighting conditions: | Not reported. |
| UFO observed: | Yes |
| UFO arrival observed: | Yes |
| UFO departure observed: | Yes |
| UFO/Entity Relation: | Certain |
| Witnesses numbers: | 1 |
| Witnesses ages: | 70 |
| Witnesses types: | Not reported. Woman. |
| Photograph(s): | No. |
| Witnesses drawing: | No. |
| Witnesses-approved drawing: | No. |
| Number of entities: | 1 |
|---|---|
| Type of entities: | Humanoid or human |
| Entities height: | Not reported. |
| Entities outfit type: | Like a Navy uniform. |
| Entities outfit color: | Not reported. |
| Entities skin color: | Not reported. |
| Entities body: | Not reported. Slender. |
| Entities head: | Not reported. |
| Entities eyes: | Not reported. |
| Entities mouth: | Not reported. |
| Entities nose: | Not reported. |
| Entities feet: | Not reported. |
| Entities arms: | Not reported. |
| Entities fingers: | Not reported. |
| Entities fingers number: | Not reported. |
| Entities hair: | Not reported. |
| Entities voice: | None heard. |
| Entities actions: | Was sitting inside the flying UFO. |
| Entities/witness interactions: | None. |
| Witness(es) reactions: | Observed, went. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | Not reported. |
| Witness(es) interpretation: | Not reported. |
| Explanation category: | Probable helicopter, or hoax. |
| Explanation certainty: | Medium. |
[Ref. db1:] ISABEL DAVIS AND TED BLOECHER:
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[...] This does not mean that there were no reports of occupants in 1947. Local newspapers published at least three accounts of small beings associated with "flying saucers" that year. An elderly woman reported the first incident, at Webster, Massachusetts on June 19. She had seen from her window a "moon-sized" object fly nearby with a "slender" figure inside dressed in what appeared to be a Navy uniform (2). [... other case...] An elderly woman reported the first incident, at Webster, Massachusetts on June 19. She had seen from her window a "moon-sized" object fly nearby with a "slender" figure inside dressed in what appeared to be a Navy uniform (2). [... other case...] If these absurd-sounding stories - especially the last were sketchily reported and written tongue-in-cheek, apparently with no expectation that they would be taken seriously, this is understandable. For almost everyone in 1947, such stories were without precedent; press and public, already confounded by the enigma of the saucers themselves, were naturally unwilling to take on the added riddle of a two-foot man with a head like a basketball. Stories like these, of course, never made the wire services and were known only in the areas served by local newspapers, although stories about occupants of aerial objects had been told long before 1947. [...] 2. Worcester (Mass.) Daily Telegram, July 7, 1947, p. 1. |
[Ref. go1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
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1947, 19 juin USA, Webster (Massachusetts) An elderly lady saw from her window an object of the apparent size of the moon, passing nearby. In this object there was a slender figure whose garment resembled a naval uniform (Inforespace n° 48 de 1979, p. 29) |
[Ref. mk1:] MARTIN S. KOTTMEYER:
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1947 and all that [... other cases...] ]The first known entity case in the 1947 Wave occurred at Webster, Massachusetts and was reported in the July seventh Worcester, Massachusetts Daily Telegram. They reported that an elderly woman saw on June 17th a moon-sized object fly by with a slender figure inside dressed in what appeared to be a Navy uniform. As no landing is mentioned nor the closeness of the encounter, it is unclear if this should be regarded as a CE3K. The presence of a Navy uniform unambiguously reflects the presumption of the craft being a secret device of the U.S. government – then, the dominant presumption among believers in saucers. (25) [... other cases...] ](25) Isabel Davis & Ted Bloecher, Close Encounter at Kelly and Others of 1955 CUFOS, 1978, p. i. |
[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:
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21. Location. Webster Massachusetts Date: June 19 1947 Time: 2230 An unidentified woman called the Telegram office and said that a 70-year old Webster relative had seen "something shoot by her window." The relative said that the object was "a little bigger than the moon" and that "there was a slim man in what looked like a Navy uniform sitting in it." Humcat 1947-7 Source: Humcat quoting newspaper source Type: A High Strangeness Index: 6 Reliability of Source: 5 Comments: It appears to be another early pre-Arnold type "A" report. The description of the humanoid is interesting. |
[Ref. lg1:] LUIS R. GONZALEZ MANSO:
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17 June 1947 - Webster, Massachusetts An elderly woman saw a moon-sized object fly by with a slender figure inside dressed in what appeared to be a Navy uniform. No landing is mentioned neither the closeness of the encounter. Sources:
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[Ref. ud1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
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19 Jun 1947 - Webster, Massachusetts, USA 19 June 1947 22:30 Webster, Massachusetts, USA Slim man in Navy uniform sat in a UFO that "shot by her window". An object was observed. Occupants of the craft were seen. One object, the size of the moon, was observed by one female 70-year-old witness at a house. One 5.7-foot-tall thin being, wearing a navy uniform, was seen. An unidentified woman called the Telegram office and said that a 70-year old Webster relative had seen "something shoot by her window." The relative said that the object was "a little bigger than the moon" and that "there was a slim man in what looked like a Navy uniform sitting in it." Hynek rating: CE3 Vallee rating: CE3 [Sources are listed as:] "Webb, David, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports"; |
[Ref. ud1:] "UFODNA" website:
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19 june 1947 - Webster, Massachusetts, USA 19 June 1947 22:30 Webster, Massachusetts, USA Slim man in Navy uniform sat in a UFO that "shot by her window". An object was observed. Occupants of the craft were seen. One object, the size of the moon, was observed by one female 70-year-old witness at a house. One 5.7-foot-tall thin being, wearing a navy uniform, was seen. An unidentified woman called the Telegram office and said that a 70-year old Webster relative had seen "something shoot by her window." The relative said that the object was "a little bigger than the moon" and that "there was a slim man in what looked like a Navy uniform sitting in it." Classification Hynek: RR3 Classification Vallée: RR3 [The sources are listed as:] "Webb, David, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports"; |
[Ref. pr1:] PETER ROGERSON:
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June 10 1947. 2230hrs. WEBSTER (MASSACHUSETTS : USA) A 70 year old woman saw, outside her window, travelling fast, a circular object in which she could see, sitting, a slim man in what looked like a navy uniform Ted Bloecher citing Worcester Daily Telegram 7 July 1947. Evaluation: Aircraft? |
[Ref. ni1:] THE NICAP WEBSITE:
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June 19, 1947; Webster, Mass. One of the earliest cases of humanoid reports appeared about two weeks later in, I believe, a Worchester paper -- possibly the Telegram. By an older, unidentified woman who saw an occupant inside an object who looked like "a Navy officer." (Bloecher) |
Of course the whole story might have been just a hoax.
As the "object" flew past the witness window, there is little chance that it was a plane and more chance that it was a helicopter, with more time to observe and more chance to see a pilot in uniform inside.
From 1939 and on, prototype helicopters were being used in the US, such as the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300; in which the pilot - here inventor Sikorsky - is very visible. Obsolete protoypes such as this one or later ones may have been still flying around.
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Here are some helicopters flying in 1947 in the US:
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Seibel YH-24. |
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USN Sikorsky Hos-1 in flight in January 1947. |
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Sikorsky H-5 of the US Army Air Force on 1947. The witness thought of a pilot in Navy uniform, but the craft way also have been a USAAF helicopter. |
There were several other models, such as the Bell YR-13 who was an early version of the Famous Bell 47, etc.
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Some US Navy uniforms in use in 1947. |
| Id: | Topic: | Severity: | Date noted: | Raised by: | Noted by: | Description: | Proposal: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Data | Severe | October 16, 2018 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | Missing primary source [wd1]. | Help needed. | Opened. |
Probable helicopter, or hoax.
* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.
| Main Author: | Patrick Gross |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Created/Changed By: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | October 16, 2018 | Creation, [dv1], [go1], [mk1], [ar1], [lg1], [ud1], [pr1], [ni1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | October 16, 2018 | First published. |
