Briefing Notes for Mr. Walter Elder
- Date
- 19 Nov 1964
- Place
- Caribbean Sea, near Puerto Rico (Atlantic Fleet Weapons Range)
- Record
- Pentagon file
- Assessment
- Not assessed
- Evidence strength
What was reported
A short CIA briefing paper prepared for Walter N. Elder (Executive Assistant to the DCI) on the same November 1964 Puerto Rico incident as CIA-UAP-D022. It states that on November 19, the USS Gyatt's radar picked up a high-speed, high-altitude target that closed rapidly on a fighter from astern; a Crusader pilot in full moonlight and good visibility identified the object as delta-shaped, about the size of a jet fighter, and the Gyatt confirmed the track with motion pictures of the radar scope, estimating speed in excess of Mach 3. It notes ONI had no further information and had been asked to report similar future incidents, and mentions the Gyatt's advanced surface-to-air missile equipment for context.
What officials concluded
Unresolved
ONI had no further information on the object beyond the radar/visual data reported and requested notification of similar future incidents.
- Agency
- CIA
- Released in
- 123456
Evidence profile
- Yes: Visual
- No: Infrared
- Yes: Radar
- Yes: Video
- No: Photo
- No: Film
- No: Audio
- No: Night vision
- No: Other sensor
- No: Civilian
- Yes: Military aircrew
- No: Military ground
- No: Airline crew
- Yes: Sensor operator
- No: Law enforcement
- No: Scientist
- No: Astronaut
- No: Intelligence official
- No: Other
- No: Light only
- No: Orb or sphere
- No: Disc
- No: Triangle
- No: Cylinder
- No: Cube
- Yes: Other shape
- No: Physiological
- No: Physical trace
- No: Electromagnetic
- No: Sound
- No: Silent
Why this rating Same evidentiary basis as CIA-UAP-D022: independent radar-with-film-record and pilot-visual corroboration of an extreme-speed contact; moderate rather than strong because the observation window was brief and no conventional-explanation analysis is included in this short briefing note.
As described in the file
- Witnesses
- 1 Crusader pilot (visual) plus USS Gyatt radar/photographic crew
- Sensors
- Radar (with motion-picture recording of the scope), visual
- Shape
- Delta-shaped, about the size of a jet fighter
- Motion
- Closed on the fighter rapidly from astern to a few miles; tracked at speed in excess of Mach 3
- Duration
- Tracked on radar for 21 minutes (per manifest)
- Altitude or range
- High altitude
Pentagon files
CIA-UAP-D023, Briefing Notes for Mr. Walter Elder
Open the original on war.govCIA-UAP-D022, Unidentified Flying Object Reported near Puerto Rico, 1965
CIA OXCART-program memoranda (dated Feb 1, 1965, discussing a Nov 18-24, 1964 series of events) exchanged between the Assistant Director for Special Activities and the Assistant Director for Scientific Intelligence regarding a radar/visual UFO incident near Puerto Rico. A Navy F-8 Crusader pilot observed a delta-shaped object about the size of a jet fighter, visually estimating its speed at Mach 3; a corresponding AN/SPS-49 radar track from the USS Gyatt independently measured the object at 3,800 knots (~4,373 mph). CIA's own internal correspondence states the Office of Naval Intelligence was 'finally convinced' the object was NOT a YF-12A (OXCART/A-12-derivative) aircraft, explicitly ruling out the classified domestic program as an explanation.
Open the original on war.gov
What the file claims
- Unverified
A Crusader pilot in full moonlight and good visibility identified the object as delta-shaped, about the size of a jet fighter, while the USS Gyatt's radar independently confirmed the track on motion-picture film.
On the map
18.00° N, 65.00° W, a position at sea, approximate
Show on the map