In this section:
Pre-Blue Book pictures, 1947. | |
Pre-Blue Book pictures, 1950 - 1951 (This page). | |
The McMinnville photographs by Paul Trent. | |
The Lubbock Lights photographs. | |
1953 - 1954. | |
1957. | |
1958. | |
1959. | |
1962 - 1966. | |
Various other Blue Book photographs. | |
Blue Book, the end. |
These are some pictures from 1951 inherited by Project Blue Book when it started in 1952. In 1950-1951, absolutely all UFO pictures were systematically explained away by the USAF investigators, often with good reasons, sometimes with possible good reason only and in spite of witness statements.
Allegedly a bright, cigar-shaped object over New York City skyline was submitted to U.S. Air Force as UFO by Irving Underhill, who took the photograph on March 20, 1950, and told about it to Colonel Wendelle C. Stevens, USAF Ret. ufologist, after a lecture. The photograph seems to show some blurred illuminated cloud.
Colonel G. D. Carter of the USAF, took this photograph in 1950 in Colorado. What appears to be a dark saucer in a tailspin was analyzed as a light leak in camera, poor processing or foreign matter adhering to the negative.
Ira E. Maxey of Fort Worth, Texas, submitted this photo to the Air Force as a UFO. Taken April 9, 1950, curved object above power lines had a reported heading of 15-20 degrees. Air Force's evaluation: crimp in the negative.
The object is barely visible here, this is not only due to a poor original photograph but to the fact that this image is merely a scan of a very old newspaper printout.
Guy B. Marquand, Jr. of Riverside, California, submitted this as a bonafide UFO on November 23, 1951. Interviewed March 24, 1952 by the Air force, Marquand admitted that the whole thing was a hoax. He said it started out as a gag which got out of control when press took over. The object was tire cover from 1937 Ford.
Interestingly, the hoaxed photographed has been presented again decades later by the controversial Colonel Philip Corso in his Roswell fantasy book as the first of a series of "true" UFO photographs.