Subject: PJ 1947: Richland, WA II
Richland Washington, VILLAGER, 1O July 1947, page 1
"FLYING DISCS SEEN AGAIN BY VILLAGERS
"There must be something to it--but what? That about sums up the
attitude of villagers this week as more and more sky viewers all over the
country report having seen the now-famed 'flying discs.'
"Latest Richland recruit to the discers is Mrs. Nordman of 506
Taylor, who noticed one on Friday, July 4.
"'We were watching our little girl shooting firecrackers,' Mrs.
Nordman said, 'when all of a sudden we saw it in the sky."
"Since the report of an unnamed California Institute of Technology
scientist, who supposedly stated that the planes might have something to
do with experiments in 'transmutation of atomic energy,' Colonel F. J
Clarke, area manager for the AEC, has been busy answering long-distance
calls from newspapers.
"'There's nothing to the report,' he stated this week. 'The
Hanford Engineering Works has nothing to do with the discs.'
"Reports have been coming too thick and fast to be passed off
lightly, generally agree that the objects are round or oval, of a
saucer-shape. Estimates of their speed vary, and local versions include
stories of the discs which stop and turn.
"They are fast, however, nearly everyone agrees. How high? It's
anyone's guess.
"They were seen here first by Leo Bernier of 1213 Stevens, who
sighted them about as soon as anyone in the country. A week ago Sunday,
a whole neighborhood and the Harbour home at 1417 Johnston, saw them.
"Mrs. Nordman's daughter was shooting fireworks in a can, and
several of the family were setting around watching the can fly into the
air, when they saw the disc.
"'It was a little bright thing, going fast, and turning over and
over,' she said. 'We never would have noticed if if we hadn't suddenly
looked up.'
"She coun't judge the distance, but the object seemed very high,
straight above her house, and heading northeast.
"Others who saw it with Mrs Nordman were her daughters Patty and
Joyce and a neighbor, Marion Krepsky."
The 10th July edition of the VILLAGER also contains an editorial about
highs that previously caused grabage can lids and sheet metal from roofs
to fly off into the sky. The newspaper in Oak Ridge, TN, cited this
incident as a possible explanation for ufos."
Not one of the most compelling cases in ufology, but if civilian were
seeing things just by chance what about the guard force and intelligence
services.
In 1950 at Oak Ridge there were a large number of ufo reports collected
by the FBI, ONI, USAF, OSI, and CIC. The FBI made an effort to
facilitate exchange of information among the organizations involved. The
attempt at coordination was not completely successful. Some security
services had reports that they others did not know about. Also, reports
in the local newspaper were ignored. (Here is a good research project.
I checked the OAK RIDGER for December 1949, March, April, May and part of
October 1950 for ufo reports. A complete check of not only the OAK
RIDGER, but all the newspaper in a fifty mile radius of Oak Ridge might
reveal interesting information.)
Could there be similar document concerning Hanford during the 1947 flap
filed away in the Department of Engery's archives and the files of the
security forces? There seem to be little information in the 4th Air
Force UFO files 1947-1952. However, there are a couple of minor
references to Hanford.
Jan Aldrich, Project 1947
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