Page 19 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - September 2021

A Different Perspective on UAP Report 19

UAP Report and a Mini

Estimate of the Situation -

A Comparison

Continued from Page 18

A photographic case that did not make Garrett’s
Mini-EOTS, but relevant to the discussion of
FBI involvement in UFO investigation,
happened on July 7, 1947. William Rhodes, a
somewhat self-employed inventor, said that he
had taken two pictures of something in the sky
over his Phoenix, Arizona home. The point here
is that Rhodes was visited by an Army officer,
identified as George J. Fugate, and a man in
civilian clothes. According to documents in the
Project Blue Book files, the FBI agent,
identified as Special Agent Brower, didn’t want
to flash his FBI credentials, and just
accompanied Fugate on the investigation. He
was introduced to Rhodes as a government
agent, but no mention was made of his
connection to the FBI. Rhodes was free to
assume that the man was just another Army Garrett himself had requested additional added here, there is nothing other than people,
officer wearing civilian clothes.
information about it. There were four witnesses mostly pilots, seeing something that they are
that included a rocket scientist. The credibility unable to identify. Given what Garrett, and by
Garrett included the Arnold case in his analysis,
of the witnesses, along with the data collected at extension Schulgen believed, it would seem that
treating it as he had all other. Just the bare facts
the request of Garrett probably explains the they provided some of the more interesting
about it. What is lost here is the possible inclusion of this case in his Mini Estimate. sightings, made interesting by the witnesses and
corroboration by Fred Johnson, and even more
not what they had seen. Garrett, Schulgen and
importantly, the electro-magnetic effects that he
July 4 sighting from near Emmet, Idaho, was Reynolds, believed, by the time the Mini
reported. If Johnson was telling the truth, and if
important because it was made by the civilian Estimate was submitted, their bosses, higher in
his compass did begin to spin wildly, then this
flight crew of an airliner. They all saw the object the chain of command knew what was being
would be an important bit of evidence. and made their observations known. Another seen. They believed that the answer was
important factor is that the Air Force would later classified, and they would be told that further
And, importantly, the two Fourth Air Force
determine that there was no solution for the investigation was unnecessary and could lead to
officers who investigated the Arnold sighting,
sighting. It was labeled as unidentified in the compromise. That, of course, was wrong.
were also involved with Arnold later. What is
Blue Book files.
relevant here is that Arnold asked Lieutenant Outcome
Brown about other sightings. Brown mentioned,
What is surprising, over that same long, July 4
specifically, the Rhodes’ photographs,
weekend, there was a series of sightings in and Though Schulgen, Garrett and Reynolds
suggesting that the object looked like those
around Portland, Oregon, that involved various believed they would be told to shut down the
Arnold had seen. Brown drew a picture of it for
law enforcement officers and civilian observers. investigation, the opposite happened. On
Arnold, and then destroyed it. Given the number of independent reports made, September 23, 1947, they received a reply to
and that some of them were trained individuals, their Mini Estimate of the Situation. Lieutenant
All of this would suggest Arnold had seen
it seems odd that Garrett did not include it in his General Nathan F. Twining sent them a letter. It
something more than a mirage as the Air Force
report. It would have added another level of was not the response they expected.
eventually claimed, or a flock of birds that some
corroboration for his concern about what was
of those in the skeptical community believed. happening and more importantly, provided more Based on the evidence, correspondence of the
However, it should be noted that Robert
independent observations of what might have time, and other factors, it is believed that
Sheaffer at his Bad UFOs website, posted a
been the same objects. Howard McCoy was the author of the letter for
picture of pelicans in a “V” formation seen from
Twining’s signature. The letter said:
a distance. Their shape does seem to match the
The next cases are more or less the same as
stylized shape of the objects Arnold reported. It many of those that came before them. Pilots (Continued on Page 20)
makes for an interesting comparison, though
reporting objects in the sky that they couldn’t
birds do not fit with everything that Arnold
readily identify. These included the sightings
reported. This information was not available to THE ‘X’ ZONE RADIO/TV
from the members of the Civil Air Patrol and
Garrett when he wrote his Estimate. SHOW
later a member of the National Guard.
WITH
After Arnold, Garrett moved back to military ROB McCONNELL
In fact, most of these cases are simply witness
personnel that included two pilots and two
statements about what they had seen and how ON
intelligence officers. There is nothing overly
they interpreted it. He did mention two cases THE ‘X’ ZONE BROADCAST
interesting about the case, other than it was a
that involved photographs, but in the first, the
report from four military officers, each with pictures were not received and in the second, NET
some training in identifying that things seen in (WWW.XZBN.NET)
though the pictures were in color, there was
the sky. This seemed to be an appeal to the AND
nothing extraordinary about them. The pictures
expertise of the officers as well as a suggestion
demonstrated that something had been in the air SIMULTV
that they wouldn’t be making up the sighting for
but provided no clues about the nature of that (WWW.SIMULTV.COM)
some personal reason or publicity. something. AND

The next case, from the White Sands area of WWW.XZONERADIOTV.COM
Without the additional information that has been
New Mexico, was probably included because