This article was published in the daily newspaper The Oklahoma Journal, on October 5, 1965.
Note: See more on the Alan Smith photographe here.
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At approximately 1:45 a.m. on August 2, Alan Smith, 14, standing in the back yard of his Tulsa home, pointed his small camera toward the darkened sky and clicked the shutter.
The image he recorded on color negative may be the most famous photograph of our age.
Young Smith was sighting his camera at an unidentified flying object in the sky. He and his father had observed the UFOs August 1 and this night were prepared.
The image he got is believed to be die first night color picture of what is commonly called a flying saucer. The picture is eerie. The consequences of the one-in-a-million shot are farfetching.
The negative shows a yellow, blue and whitish egg-shaped object, clearly defined in the sky. Protruding from the object are three tiny fingers which many have speculated may be the propulsion system. They could have been something else.
The picture was taken on a night when a rash of UFO's were sighted in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Norman and other points throughout the south-west.
These were explained away by the Air Force as stars, planets, light reflections and even airplanes moving in the sky.
Smith's picture resembles none of these. This is how he describes the events leading up to the picture:
"The first night it came over fairly low, but so fast that it just looked like a bright light about 25 times the size of a star moving from north to south.
"There had been a rash of sightings of unexplained objects for a week in Oklahoma particularly in Tulsa but this was the closest UFO that my family had ever seen."
Alan said the second night he and his family were ready. He had loaded his official Boy Scout camera (620) with Kodacolor X high speed film.
[Photo caption:]
The picture above is believed to be the first night color photograph of an unidentified flying object, commonly called a flying saucer. The picture, showing a clearly defined yellow, blue and whitish egg-shaped object in the sky, was shot by Alan Smith, 14-year-old Tulsa boy, Aug. 2 when a rash of flying objects were reported over Oklahoma skies. Alan, his father, sister and neighbor pal went watching the object when Alan shot the one exposure on an official Boy Scout camera (620) with Kodacolor X high speed film. (Copyright 1965 by The Oklahoma Journal Publishing Co.)
TEXARKANA, Ark. (Staff) A red, yellow and blue object which "seemed to alternate colors "has been spotted here by two local women.
A sighting Friday that lasted nearly one minute was reported by Mrs. J. E. Magee and her sister, Mrs. Lucille Paul. "It was about one-third as large as the sun," Mrs. Magee said.
The single report was the first since an epidemic of sightings plagued the area in August, according to the editor of the Texarkana Gazette.
Here's how you can help solve the flying saucer riddle in the United States:
1. If you have a camera, keep it loaded with color film. If you see an unidentified flying object in the sky, shoot a picture and you may have the second known color photo of a flying saucer.
2. If you don't have a camera and see a UFO, call the Journal immediately and give our professional photographers an opportunity to make the picture.
3. If you have already seen UFO, please send us complete details in a letter, giving time of sighting, description and all details. The information, with your permission, will be sent to proper authorities for evaluation. Send to The Oklahoma Journal, UFO Research, 7430 SE 15, Oklahoma City, Okla.
