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Approved For Release 2001/04/02 : CIA-RDP81R00560R000100010001-0 CIVIL DEFENSE , GROUND OBSERVER CORPS The Ground Observer Corps was created in January 1950, and inactivated January 31, 1959. By that time the improvement of electronic detection equipment reduced the need for civilian volunteer observers to supplement the air detection network of the Air Defense Command. During the period of its operation, the GOC made a great contribution to the security of the United States. It also logged hundreds of sightings of unexplainable aerial phenomena. NICAP Adviser Leonard H. Stringfield, during this period, was Director of an effective world-wide organization (C.R.1.F.0.) in Cincinnati, Ohio, which sifted and publicized reliable UFO in- formation. In September 1955, the Air Defense Command Filter Center in Columbus designated Stringfield’s home as an official “UFO reporting post.” Thereafter, when UFOs were observed in the skies above Cincinnati, Stringfield would check out the reports. If the objects did not appear to be anything conventional, he would alert the Filter Center. On several occasions, Stringfield helped vector in jet interceptors to track down unidentified objects in the skies. ‘A similar incident occurred August 23, 1955. In a privately published book, [22.] Stringfield described what happened: “About midnight, residents throughout the city were jarred by the roar of jets. From S.A.C., Lockburne AFB, south of Columbus, the Air National Guard jets were alerted, scrambled and were over Cincinnati in 12 minutes. The alert began when three UFOs were sighted and confirmed by radar somewhere between Columbus and Cincinnati. “tn the meantime, Walter Paner, Supt. of Hamilton County GOC, on duty at the Mt. Healthy Post, phoned the author of the existent alert and relayed the word that jet interceptors were due over the area, He said the UFOs had been active over Mt, Healthy and could be seen clearly by observers from the tower. In a short time, the jets, at approximately 20,000 feet, were over Cincinnati, but poor visibility prevented me and a visiting friend from Toronto, Canada, from seeing the UFOs which had deployed over a wide area. According to radar, the interlopers had exten- ded 37 miles south, 24 miles north of the city, and as far as 10 miles east of Mt. Healthy. “A later call from Paner disclosed that a UFO was seen hovering in pendulum-like motions directly over the tower. At about 12:10 a.m., the interceptors made contact, and swooping in, chased the UFO - which disappeared at incredible speed. In the meantime, the Forestville and Loveland GOC Post reported the erratic flights of UFOs to the Air Filter Center describing them as round brilliant white spheres and discs.” The Cincinnati-Columbus, Ohio, area has long been a scene of extensive UFO activity. During 1953 and 1954, another NICAP member, Don Berliner, logged UFO sightings at the Columbus Filter Center. A selection of the reports indicates the flavor and frequency of UFO observations: July 9, 1953; Columbus, Ohio. ‘Circular, silver’’ object traveling at terrific rate of speed’’ at very high altitude seen by accountant at North American Aviation plant. July 24, 1953; Mt. Vernon, Ohio. 0900 EST; ‘large silver object” circles over town and then leaves in SW direction at speed slightly faster than clouds. Altitude esti- mated at 30,000 ft, July 31, 1953; Port Clinton, Ohio. White light; going east 45 degrees in 30-40 seconds; viewed through 7x field glasses; ceiling was 15-20,000 feet. 2050 EST. August 1, 1953; Toledo, Ohio. 0030 EST; ‘‘amber to green or blue;”’... “flickers and jumps.” August 14, 1953; Columbus, Ohio. 2030 EST; lighted object came straight down out of the sky, stopped, then sped out of view; in sight 30 seconds; observed by two young boys. (From Ohio State Journal; 8-15-53). August 15, 1953; Crestline, Ohio. 2030 EST; light: white, red, green; circling; clear and calm. August 21, 1953; Maumee, Ohio. 2200-2300 EST; Black oval, beads of light with green and red around perimeter; going NW, 20 degrees above horizon. August 23, 1953; Columbus, Ohio. 0415 EST; red and white, half dollar [apparent size], moving very slowly up- ward; observed 1-1/2 hours. September 24, 1953; Columbus, Ohio. 1027 EST; round disk, silvery, few seconds, following plane. October 30, 1953; Mt. Vernon, Ohio. 17252; round, silver, did not look like plane; heard motor sound; low altitude; circular motion; clear. November 14, 1953; vicinity of Toledo, Ohio. 2330Z; orange, white, blue and red flashing; gaining altitude; very clear. December 13, 1953; Central Ohio. 0030 EST; long with white lights at both ends. Altitude approx. 5000 feet. Clear. December 16, 1953; Toledo, Ohio. 1920 EST, Small group of lights changing from red to white, each appearing to revolve; altitude very high. Disappeared to NW a few minutes prior to arrival of seven aircraft from east. Seven were in loose formation, 1 mile apart and at different altitudes. Four miles from point of observation, broke formation and flew off in different directions. GOC, Radar, Track UFO Across New York From 1951 to 1955, NICAP Adviser James C, Beatty served as a civilian leader at the Air Force Filter Center in White Plains, N.Y, The Center covered parts of three states: A portion of southern New York, about one-half of Connecticut, and most of New Jersey. Approximately 15,000 Ground Observer Corps spotters reported to this Center. During this period, Beatty served as an instructor, a team supervisor, and also as alert crew supervisor. In the latter capacity, he would have been the civilian in charge at the Filter Center if New York had actually been attacked. In a tape recorded talk to the New York NICAP Affiliate, Beatty said that UFO sightings reported by GOC spotters were numerous; ‘‘It was a fairly frequent occurrence.” Beatty recalled in particular one sighting in which he helped track the UFO. It was late August or early September 1954, on the 8:00 p.m, to midnight shift. At first, all was quiet. Then about 9:30 p.m. a post about 20 miles southeast of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., reported that ‘a large round orange object’ the apparent size of the moon had appeared suddenly in the sky. The moon was also visible in another sector of the sky, and was not full that night. For 20-30 minutes, the ground observers watched the UFO. At first it appeared stationary, except for an oscillatory effect as if it were about to start moving. Then it began moving slowly in a southeasterly direction. As it moved the color changed slightly from orange to a more yellow-orange. “During the next hour,’ Beatty reported, ‘‘our team at the Filter Center plotted the progress of this object across the board...This track as it began to evolve had a southeasterly direction. During this whole period of an hour it was under constant observation. “while the object had been progressing across our board, I at that particular time was on the hot-line at the Filter Center... Two radar stations we were hooked into confirmed at that time that they had been holding an electronic fixon this same object ... It coincided in position and movement with the object we had seen visually.”” Over the hot-line, Beatty could hear the various ground bases talking to each other, and heard the “scramble” order go out from two different Air Force bases. Two jets were scrambled from Stewart AFB, Newburgh, N.Y., and two from the base at Newcastle, Delaware. “«At the time I was hearing the scrambles in the background, the plot was progressing more in a direction toward the state of Connecticut ...then we began to pick up the jet patterns, coming. in from the south in the case of the scramble from Delaware, and from the west in the case of the scramble from Stewart Field...We could track the jets as they closed in on this object. “Shortly before the interception occurred, a strange thing happened to the orange object. This was reported both by the ground observer posts and by the pilots of the jets. It seemed to speed up in its motion - it had been oscillating or pulsating and moved rather slowly - and it changed to a rotational effect with Approved For Release 2001/04/02 :°CIA-RDP81R00560R000100010001-0