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Des informations supplémentaires importantes sur un certain nombre de cas furent obtenues par le Dr. James E. McDonald dans une série d'interviews téléphoniques avec au moins 30 des témoins qui rapportèrent avoir vu des ovnis en 1947. Une liste de ces témoins, avec le n° du cas, la date et le lieu de l'observation, peut être trouvée ci-dessous. En plus des témoins listés ci-dessous, le Dr. McDonald a interrogé Mme E. G. Rawlins (anciennement Mme H. G. Olavick) sur son observation aux alentours du 29 avril 1947 à Tucson, en Arizona (voir l'introduction) ; ainsi que Mme L. A. Kuehnel (anciennement Mme Peter Vogel) de Santa Clara, en Californie, sur son observation aux alentours du 29 juin 1947 à Jacksonville, dans l'Oregon (2-4).
Tous les cas sauf les n° 110, 155, 179 et 335 have been referred to in the text of the Report (voir la Chronologie et l'Index for references). Les informations sur ces 4 cas sont incluses dans l'annexe, avec le récit de presse d'origine, pour comparaison. De plus, des informations obtenues de Mme Dave Johnson, veuve du témoin impliqué dans le cas n° 794, sont incluses.
Parmi les Tucsoniens ayant rapporté avoir vu les mystérieux disques dans le ciel se trouvent M. et Mme Charles O. Weaver, 708 East 1st St. Weaver, propriétaire d'un restaurant, qui dit avoir remarqué 9 ou 10 des disques dans le ciel vers 13 h 30 dimanche dernier (29/6) alors qu'il se tenait près des rues de North Stone et d'East Alameda. Lui et Mme Weaver rentrèrent alors chez eux pour avoir une meilleure vue des objets mysterieux avec des jumelles.
Le Dr. McDonald apprit de Weaver qu'à l'époque de son observation il dirigeait le restaurant San Carlos dans le centre ville de Tucson. Lui et sa femme étaient sortis par la porte de derrière de leur restaurant le jour de l'observation et, regardant vers le nord-est, avaient vu un certain nombre d'objets manoeuverant au-dessus des Monts Catalina. Weaver eut l'impression que les objets étaient plus ou moins au sud des montagnes et pas beaucoup plus que 2000 pieds au-dessus de l'arête. Ils étaient presque trop petits pour qu'on puisse indiquer clairement leur forme, mais Weaver eut l'impression que les objets étaient elliptiques, ou en forme de soucoupe. Ils étaient argentés, avec une finition brillante, et les Weavers virent le reflet de lumière qui émana d'eux lorsqu'ils réfléchirent le soleil. Il se souvint qu'il y avait 6 ou 7 objets (à comparer avec 9 or 10 dans le récit de presse). Les objets étaient plus ou moins stationnaire à un endroit, et Weaver pensa à se rendre en voiture jusqu'à chez sa femme (pas chez lui, comme indiqué dans les journaux locaux) pour récupérer des jumelles. Ceci lui prit 5 mn environ et les objets étaient toujours en vue lorsqu'il arriva là-bas. Il constata que les jumelles se révélaient de peu d'aide, eut du mal à trouver les objets en raison du champ de vision limité, et continua donc à les regarder à l'oeil nu.
Peu après qu'il y récupéré les jumelles, les objets commençèrent à grimper rapidement vers le sud-est. En 2 mn environ ils étaient perdus de vue, se déplaçant bien plus vite qu'un appareil normal. Je n'ai jamais rien vu de tel avant ou depuis, dit-il à McDonald, et ajouta que lui et sa femme avaient regardé le ciel mais n'avaient plus jamais vu d'autres ovnis. Il fut relativement catégorique quant au fait que ce qu'il avait vu n'était pas des objets conventionnels.
"Flying discs were reported seen over Lewiston this morning and five persons said they had seen the objects. Their appearance, however, was described as long and narrow, flat on the ends and narrow in the middle, like airplane propellers.
Mrs. Lloyd Bergh went out on the porch of her home at 13th Avenue just off 14th Street at about 8:15 a.m. She said she has read a lot about the 'discs' lately and always looks over the sky when she is outside. She said she immediately spotted four.
"Mrs. Bergh said she called her husband and an 11-year-old daughter, who watched with a 9-year-old neighbor girl. The Berghs notified Mrs. Bob Sergeant next door, who came out in time to see only one of the objects before they disappeared.
"Mrs. Bergh watched them through colored glasses and said they were all in a group, and were white and shiny. They were very high, she said, much higher than airplanes usually fly over the area. She said that they were going at a steady speed and apparently came in from the northwest and left in a generally southeasterly direction. They would dip and roll, but they did not appear to be spinning, she said."
At the time of the sighting, the Bergh’s told Dr. McDonald, they lived at 1408 13th Avenue. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bergh, whom Dr. McDonald interviewed separately, said that the time of the sighting was about 7:00 a.m. (Mr. Bergh was due at work at 8:00 a.m.) Mrs. Bergh was hanging out clothes at the time. She said she had been quite skeptical of the reports of "discs" and wondered why, if everyone else was seeing them, she hadn't, so she resolved to keep an eye on the sky. It was with this in mind that she stepped outside and, looking up, saw the objects.
Both of the Bergh’s emphasized that there were three, not four, objects, and that they in no way resembled "airplane propellers." Neither had seen the article in the Spokane paper and they could not imagine how such a description had gotten into the account. They said the objects were disc-shaped, like "two hub-caps face to face." Mr. Bergh emphasized that they were thicker in the middle. They were silvery (not white) and glinted in the sun. It was a beautifully clear day and although there were scattered clouds, at no time did the objects go in front or behind them.
Both witnesses stated that the discs flew with their planes vertical, like a wheel. (This description turns up in a number of reports.) That attitude may have given Mrs. Bergh the impression that the objects were rolling along but Mr. Bergh had no such impression and thought that his wife was wrong about that. The three discs moved along at a fairly high speed, maintaining a uniform distance from each other, but occasionally dipping down and up as if moving along the surface of a wave.
They were first seen to the southwest (not the northwest), high in altitude and angular elevation. They moved on an easterly course and finally disappeared to the southeast. Mrs. Bergh had time to get her sunglasses, which enabled her to watch the objects for a longer period than the others--a total duration of about 3 mn.
In that time, the Berghs were joined by their 11-year-old daughter, and a friend who was visiting the neighbors; Mr. and Mrs. Elijah Joliff, neighbors from several houses away; and, finally, Mrs. Bob Sergeant, from next door, who saw very little. The Bergh’s recollections, according to Dr. McDonald, seemed to be quite clear.
"An Omaha woman believes the city was visited Thursday (7/3) by 'flying saucers.' Mrs. Fred C. Nelson, 5530 Mayberry Avenue, said they appeared to be the size of dinner plates. She saw 3 of them about 3:30 a.m. They darted from the north and veered to the east. The objects were visible for about a second. Mrs. Nelson said they glowed with the same brilliance and color as the full moon. Two of them were round, and the third one was oval, as though it might be tilted."
Mrs. Nelson was 53 at the time of the sighting, and according to Dr. McDonald, she still has a vivid recollection of the incident. There are several differences, however, between her recollections and the news account. She told Dr. McDonald that she had awakened during the early morning and looked out her bedroom window, next to her bed, to see what the weather was like. The window was open. She saw 2 (pas 3) "oval-shaped things" coming out of the north. They made a 90-degree turn without banking and veered off toward the east, where they disappeared. The total duration was only a few seconds. She had a clear, unobstructed view of them.
Mrs. Nelson said the outlines of the objects were distinct, not hazy, and they had the color of the moon, glowing with a pale white light. She said they appeared to be larger than the angular size of the full moon and looked oval when first seen; after their abrupt turn, their apparent projected shape changed and they appeared elliptical, symmetric fore and aft. No wings were visible and she said she had seen them so plainly that had there been any wings she certainly would have seen them. They did not reflect light, nor did they flicker or blink. But after they veered to the east they disappeared abruptly from sight, without "going behind anything." She agreed that they might have "blinked out."
Mrs. Nelson called the Omaha World-Herald later to find out if anyone else had reported seeing them, hoping to get a confirmation of her sighting. No other witnesses came forward. She recalled that at the time many people were laughing at those who reported "flying saucers." She remarked that had she seen them about a week later, she would definitely not have reported them because by that time the ridicule was very pronounced. She blamed the newspapers for this. Dr. McDonald said Mrs. Nelson was quite definite about her sighting without being contentious about it, and found her account of it coherent and articulate.
"Four flying discs were seen over Boise yesterday (7/5). Henry Vanderhoef, Jr., at his father's home at 1011 No. 9th Street, said he, his wife, his father, his mother, 6 or 7 neighbors, and Richard Shirley, saw three of the discs.
"Vanderhoef said he saw vapor trails in the northwest, which merged into a cloud and then dissipated rapidly. From the cloud, before it thinned out, he said, there came a silver-colored, round object which wavered about, and then streaked away to the northwest.
"A minute or so later, he said, 2 more discs were seen coming from the cloud. They also wavered, then straightened out on a swift course to the northwest. The weather bureau said conditions at that hour, Saturday, would have permitted the formation and rapid dissolution of clouds at an altitude of 14,500 feet -- but, said the Weather Bureau, clouds formed normally would not vanish as swiftly as indicated by Vanderhoef."
Dr. McDonald learned from Vanderhoef that he had been with his wife at his father's home during the afternoon, relaxing outside with a group of neighbors. He was the first one to spot the objects. The day was perfectly clear and he saw the 3 objects together, nor did they come from or enter any clouds, as mentioned in the press accounts.
Their shape was round and probably disc-like, as they appeared to flutter and reflect the sunlight. Vanderhoef estimated their altitude at from 20 000 feet to 30 000 feet and said they moved overhead at times, and were seen at other times off in the distance. Sometimes they flew in formation and at other times they maneuvered alone, occasionally fluttering. At times they appeared to emit brief pulses of something resembling vapor trails, as they moved erratically. These did not stream out steadily from the objects but only came out as puffs, following sharp maneuvers. It was these violent maneuvers that struck the observer as so peculiar: he remarked that the G-forces must have been tremendous, and said the objects could not have been manned because of the sharp right-angle turns and sudden altitude changes. They were in view for close to 45 mn.
Vanderhoef phoned the Statesman to see if they could send out a press photographer to take pictures of the objects, but by the time they got around to it, it was too late. Vanderhoef was in the Army Air Corps from 1939 to 1946, enlisted for four years and an engineering officer with the Eighth Air Force for four years. During the war he had been bombed out of his hotel during the V-2 attacks on England and, knowing that type of missile, was entirely satisfied that the objects he saw on 5 juillet 1947, were not any conventional aircraft. A pilot, he had worked together with Dave Johnson after the war in forming the Idaho National Guard. (Johnson was not the reporter who interviewed him for a story of his sighting.) He had known Kenneth Arnold for more than a year and felt that Arnold's story of his sighting was reliable.
Currently, Vanderhoef is employed as an investigator with the Idaho Department of Law Enforcement. He hold's a private pilot's license and occasionally flies.
Le témoin mourrut en 1964 mais le Dr. McDonald réussit à contacter sa veuve. Mme Johnson vit toujours à Boise. Elle ne fut pas capable d'amplifier les détails du signalement de son mari, mais envoya au Dr. McDonald de nombreuses coupures de presse de journaux de l'Idaho qu'elle avait gardées. Elle mentionna, cependant, que son mari avait laissé tombé tout intérêt pour les soucoupes volantes assez brusquement après que du personnel du Corps de l'Armée de l'Air lui ait conseillé de "lay off." Il avait été pilote du Corps Aérien, était actif dans la Garde Nationale de l'Idaho, ce qui ne lui laissait aucun autre choix que d'obéir. Mme Johnson décrivit brièvement une observation qu'elle fit en 1953, et dit qu'elle connaissait assez bien les Arnolds, ajoutant que Kenneth Arnold était devenu assez réticient à parler du sujet. Elle considérait son observation d'origine comme fiable.
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