Introduction. Page I iii Abstract. Explanation of nicap and its policies

When the Soviet Union launched the first earth satellite, October 4, 1957, Americans suddenly became "space (and sky) conscious." Amateur astronomers and average citizens strained for a glimpse of the barely visible sphere. However, there was no particular increase of UFO reports. The whole month of October produced no more than 4-5 substantial UFO cases in the United States. One of the most intriguing accounts, never fully investigated, described a whitish oval-shaped object observed in the vicinity of Cape Canaveral on the nights of October 6 and 7. [26]

Immediately following the launching of the dog-carrying Sputnik II, late on the evening of November 2 (Eastern Standard Time), the country was suddenly inundated with UFO reports. The sightings actually began before word of the satellite launching was flashed to the western world. Most of the significant reports concerned very large, usually elliptical objects, observed on or near the ground (not merely fleeting lights in the sky). The possibility that hysteria played a part in the reports which followed cannot be ruled out entirely. But clearly it is not the whole answer. Reliable witnesses soberly described plainly observed UFOs, and the press gave their stories very full coverage.

Before the sightings began to taper off two weeks later, eager citizens began to introduce many erroneous reports. After elliptical UFOs were reported daily in the press for a week, people began to scan the sky hoping to see one for themselves. The planet Venus, glowing prominently in the early evening sky to the WSW, was often reported as a UFO by inexperienced sky observers. To complicate matters, there was a spectacular aurora display the evening of November 6, which was also visible unusually far south. The flashing red aurora lights, in some cases, were transformed into "UFOs." An occasional fireball (exceptionally bright and long-lasting meteor) flashed through the skies, adding to the confusion.

The features of the UFO reports which defied explanation were the consistent descriptions of red to reddish-orange, egg shaped (roughly elliptical) objects on or near the ground, and electrical failures experienced in their vicinity. For the month of November, NICAP has records of 118 apparently reliable sightings. In approximately one of every three cases, electro magnetic (E-M) interference was reported. Subsequent research showed that E-M effects associated with UFOs were not uncommon, [Section VIII].

By November 3, newspapers were full of UFO reports; by November 5 reports were given banner headlines. Also on the 5th, the Air Force issued a special press release to the effect that no evidence of UFOs had been found and all except 2% of the reports had been explained. The release did not even mention the sightings then in progress. A second press release November 15, after which the reports virtually died out, listed and debunked five specific cases which had been widely publicized. [Section IX].

An Air Force press release nearly a year later (No. 986-58) listed 414 sightings for November 1957. About 64% (266) were explained as stars and planets, aircraft and balloons. Only four were listed as "unknown;" 70 as "insufficient data." The Air Force gave no weight to reports of electro-magnetic interference, later stating "the number of cases involving car stallings is negligible." (Air Force letter on file at NICAP)

Anything reported to the Air Force as a UFO is included in their statistics. This procedure makes it a foregone conclusion that only a comparatively small percentage of total reports might remain which would be difficult to fit into a known category. NICAP considers it a more meaningful approach to first weed out fairly obvious reports of meteors, etc., then to study the remainder of more substantial reports as a group. The percentage of mistaken observations is considered irrelevant.

Because of the flood of published information on UFOs at the time, it is likely that minor inaccuracies or inconsistencies will subsequently be discovered. On the whole, the picture given is believed to be essentially accurate. Collectively, the reports are too widespread and consistent to be ignored. They have not been adequately explained in conventional terms, and apparently cannot be so explained.

THE NOVEMBER 1957 "FLAP"

Chronology