1951

• 1951.0000 “Civilian Saucer Investigation”
  

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  During 1951, “Civilian Saucer Investigation” (“CSI”) was formed by Ed J Sullivan, Werner Eichler and Victor Black.

   

   

   

• 1951.0000 Air Ministry study

   

  

  Air Ministry study
  During 1951, a study of UFO reports was performed in Britain on behalf of the United Kingdom’s Air Ministry, involving Squadron Leader R G Woodman liaising with personnel in the USA..

   

   

   

• 1951.0000 Clarke's "The Sentinel"
  

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  Arthur C Clarke's short story "The Sentinel" was published in 1951. It has also been published under the title “Sentinel of Eternity”.

  It was the inspiration for the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey”.

   

• 1951.0000 Movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still”

   

  

  “The Day the Earth Stood Still”

  The movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still”(1951) was directed by Robert Wise.

  It was based on a story by Harry Bates (“Farewell to the Master”) and starred Michael Rennie as Klaatu/Carpenter.

   

   

   

• 1951.0000 movie “The Man From Planet X”

   

  

  “The Man From Planet X”
  The movie “The Man From Planet X” (1951) was directed by Edgar G Ulmer.

   

   

   

   

• 1951.0000 Movie “The Thing from Another World”
  

  “The Thing from Another World”
  The movie “The Thing from Another World” was directed by Christian Nyby and Howard Hawkes. It was based on John W Campbell Jr.’s “Who Goes There?”.

  The movie was remade in 1982 by John Carpenter.

   

   

• 1951.0100 Cosmopolitan article
  

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  The January 1951 edition of Cosmopolitanmagazine published an article by Bob Considine entitled “The Disgraceful Flying Saucer Hoax”, resulting in an unsuccessful libel claim by Nick Mariana.

  Cosmopolitan, January 1951, pages 32-33, 100-102

   

   

• 1951.0200 Skyhook article
  

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  During February 1951, an article by Richard Wilson was published in Lookmagazine, quoting Dr. Urner Liddel as suggesting that Skyhook balloons could explain UFO sightings.

   

   

   

• 1951.0432 Air Force Regulation 190-6

   

  

  Air Force Regulation 190-6
  On 24 January 1878, Air Force Regulation 190-6 (“AFR 190-6”) detailed USAF policy on dissemination of information.

   

   

   

• 1951.0600 Flying Saucer Working Party

   

  

  Flying Saucer Working Party
  During June 1951, the British Ministry of Defence’s “Working Party on Flying Saucers” produces its final report.

  The cover sheet for the report read as follows: “Ministry of Defence : Directorate of Scientific Intelligence and Joint Technical Intelligence Committee : UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS : DSI/JTIC Report No. 7”.

   

• 1951.0825 Lubbock Lights sightings
  

  Lubbock Lights sightings
  "Impact" Rating = 13
  "Credibility" Rating = 13
  "Expert" Rating = 8
  "Strangeness" Rating = 6

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  On 25 August 1951, several college professors from Texas Technological College at Lubbock (W I Robinson, A G Oberg, W L Ducker) and others report observing a v-shaped formation of bluish green lights passing over Lubbock, Texas.

  Part of the “Lubbock Lights” sightings.

  This incident is Case 31 in Isaac Koi's "Top 100" article, since it was referred to in 66 of the books covered by that article.

  This incident featured in the results of a survey in 1965 by Jacques Vallee of the opinion of various UFO groups as to the most significant UFO sightings.

   

  Isaac Koi’s “ICES” Rating for this sighting = 8,112 (out of a potential score of 14*14*14*14 i.e. 38,416)

  (1) “Impact” Rating of 13 (out of a potential score of 14), because it is Case 31 in Isaac Koi's "Top 100" article.

  (2) “Credibility” Rating of 13 (out of a potential score of 14) because the relevant professors are highly credible witnesses. The debate regarding their sightings has centered on what was actually seen.

  (2) “Expert” Rating of 8 (out of a potential score of 14). It is given this slightly above average rating because (at the time of writing) it has not been included in any of the short lists of the best cases produced by various UFO researchers that have been compiled by Isaac Koi (see the “Best UFO Cases" article at PART 3: Existing lists by various individuals) but did feature in the results of a survey in 1965 by Jacques Vallee of the opinion of various UFO groups as to the most significant UFO sightings.

  (4)“Strangeness” Rating of 6 (out of a potential score of 14). The sighting has a relatively low strangeness rating since there is relatively limited evidence to be explained as to the nature of the objects seen. Several researchers have suggested mundane explanations, particularly birds reflecting lights.

   

   

  Sections below:

  1. Web Resources

  2. Book References

  3. Other material

   

   

• 1951.0831 Carl Hart photos
  

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  Carl Hart Jr, a freshman at Texas Tech, claimed to have taken pictures of the lights on the night of 31 August 1951.

   

   

   

• 1951.0900 Edward Ruppelt
  

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  In or around September 1951, Lieutenant Cummings was released from active service. Captain Edward Ruppelt asked to head Project Grudge.

   

   

   

• 1951.0910 Fort Monmouth radar incident
  

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  On 10 September 1951, there was an incident involving a student radar operator at the Fort Monmouth, New Jersey radar center, with further radar and visual sighting reports in the area later the same day and on the following day.

   

   

   

• 1951.1001 Cummings briefing
  

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  On 1 October 1951, Lieutenant Cummings briefsGeneral Cabell on lack of investigation of UFO reports by ATIC. Lieutenant Cummings and Lieutenant Colonel Rosengarten ordered to set up a new revitalised Project Grudge.

   

   

   

• 1951.1027 Project Grudge reactivated
  

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  On 27 October 1951, Project Grudge was officially re-activated.

   

   

   

   

• 1951.1127 Project Twinkle report

   

  

  Project Twinkle report
  On 27 November 1951, at the Cambridge Research Laboratory’s produces its final report on “peculiar light phenomena that had been observed in the skies of the southwestern United States”. (The relevant observations are commonly referred to as “green fireballs”).

  (The relevant report is commonly referred to as “the Project Twinkle report”)

   

• 1951.1130 Grudge Status Report

   

  

  Grudge Status Report
  On 30 October 1951, Project Grudge Status Report Number 1 was issued. This was the first in a series of “Status Reports” issued by Project Grudge, a practice continued by Project Bluebook.

   

   

• 1951.1200 "Civilian Saucer Investigation"

   

  

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  During December 1951, Civilian Saucer Investigation (“CSI”) was formed.

  Members included Walter Riedel.

   

   

   

• 1951.1226 Battelle conference
  

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  On 26 December 1951, Colonel S H Kirkland, of Colonel Dunn's staff, and Captain Edward Ruppelt left Dayton for a two-day conference to outline to Battelle Memorial Institute (referred to by Captain Ruppelt as “Project Bear”) the proposed project to (a) design a UFO reporting form and (b) perform a statistical study of all UFO reports.