Exeter Incident - Air Force Investigation and Explanation

Air Force Investigation and Explanation

When Exeter's police chief read the reports of Bertrand, Hunt, and Muscarello he called nearby Pease Air Force Base and reported a UFO sighting. The Air Force sent Major David Griffin and Lieutenant Alan Brandt to interview the three men. The Air Force officers asked all three men to not report their sighting to the press, but since a reporter from the Manchester Union-Leader newspaper had already interviewed them, it was too late. Major Griffin sent a report of the incident to the staff of Project Blue Book, the official Air Force research group assigned to study UFO reports. Griffin wrote that "At this time I have been unable to arrive at a probable cause of this sighting. The three observers seem to be stable, reliable persons, especially the two patrolmen. I viewed the area of the sighting and found nothing in the area that could be the probable cause. Pease AFB had five B-47 aircraft flying in the area but I do not believe that they had any connection with this sighting."

However, before Project Blue Book could send this evaluation to the Pentagon, the Air Force had already issued an explanation of Muscarello and the two policemen's sighting to the press. The Pentagon informed reporters that the three men had seen "nothing more than stars and planets twinkling...owing to a temperature inversion." Project Blue Book then issued its own explanation, stating that "Operation Big Blast...a SAC/NORAD training mission" had been active on the night of the sighting and that it could have accounted for the UFO. Project Blue Book's supervisor, USAF Major Hector Quintanilla, wrote policemen Bertrand and Hunt that "in addition to aircraft from this operation, there were also five B-47 aircraft flying in your area during this period...since there were many aircraft in the area, at the time, and there were no reports of unidentified objects from personnel engaged in this operation, we might then assume that the objects observed between midnight and two am might be associated with this military air operation." However, Quintanilla also added that "If, however, these aircraft were noted by either of you, this would tend to eliminate this air operation as a possible explanation for the objects observed."