Project Sign instructions
On 11 February 1948, Project Sign personnel receive instructions, referring to their task as the “Evaluation of Unidentified Flying Objects”.
(Reference: HQ AMC Technical Instruction Number 2185)
UFO Timeline
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Chiles Whitted sighting
"Impact" Rating = 14
"Credibility" Rating = 14
"Expert" Rating = 7
"Strangeness" Rating = 6
On 24 July 1948, Eastern Airlines DC-3 pilot Captain Clarence S Chiles and co-pilot John B Whitted, on trip from
This incident is Case 10 in Isaac Koi's "Top 100" article, since it was referred to in 115 of the books covered by that article.
Isaac Koi’s “ICES” Rating for this sighting = 8,190 (out of a potential score of 14*14*14*14 i.e. 38,416)
(1) “Impact” Rating of 14 (out of a potential score of 14), because it is Case 10 in Isaac Koi's "Top 100" article.
(2) “Credibility” Rating of 13 (out of a potential score of 14) because shooting clearly did take place on the relevant night. The debate has centered on what (if anything at all) was actually there to be shot at.
(2) “Expert” Rating of 9 (out of a potential score of 14). It is given this slightly above neutral rating because (at the time of writing) it has been included in a small number 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).
(4)“Strangeness” Rating of 5 (out of a potential score of 14). The sighting has a relatively low strangeness rating since several authors (particularly Philip Klass) have plausibly suggested that the object seen was a meteor.
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Cabell memo
Estimate of the Situation
The alleged existence of this document is controversial, as are details such as its alleged date. It is sometimes stated to have been dated 5 August 1948, sometimes the 1 August 1948, usually simply August 1948, sometimes September 1948, occasionally October 1948 and even “in early 1949”.