What Zamora encountered was almost certainly a hot-air ballooon.
The hot-air balloon was only a recent innovation and attracted attention of the CIA for agent insertion/purposes.
There was top-secret testing taking place nearby in what was known as 'The Albuquerque Project'.
I had a feature article published on this discovery in the 'Albuquerque Journal' some years ago.
It was actually the, 'El Defensor Chieftain' and just rediscovered on a backup CD!
'UFO' Case Opens Window on Secret CIA Balloon Flights
Around 5:45 p.m. on 24 April, 1964, Socorro police
officer, Lonnie Zamora, was pursuing a speeding car on
Old Rodeo Street.
Suddenly, Zamora "heard a roar and saw a flame in the sky
to southwest some distance away". As there was a dynamite
shack nearby, Zamora was concerned it might have
exploded, aborted the chase and set off to investigate.
Zamora travelled slowly westward, on the gravel road
which ran alongside an arroyo.
He noticed a "shiny type object" about 150 to 200 yards
distant in the arroyo and at first glance, believed it
was an overturned car, especially as there were "two
people in white coveralls" close by.
When Zamora neared the scene, he stopped his car and
began "to go down to where I knew the object was".
He had no sooner left his car when a flame was emitted
from beneath the object, accompanied by a deafening roar.
Fearing an explosion, Zamora turned and ran for cover.
Now safely behind a hill, he watched as the object slowly
rose upwards and then, with its rocket-like flame and
roar both deactivated, silently ascend in a slanting
trajectory towards the southwest and Box Canyon.
When Zamora returned to the arroyo, he was greeted with
still smouldering brush.
What on Earth, or perhaps otherwise, had he encountered.
It was such an enigma that in the 1966 CIA publication,
'Studies in Intelligence', Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr.,
former head of the US Air Force's 'Project Bluebook', UFO
investigations team, wrote:
"This is the best-documented case on record, and still we
have been unable, in spite of thorough investigation, to
find the vehicle or other stimulus that scared Zamora to
the point of panic".
New research may, however, have solved the mystery,
involving CIA operations which remain classified to this
day.
The most significant clue comes from Zamora himself, as
revealed by Ray Stanford in his 1976 book, 'Socorro
Saucer'. Stanford writes, "Zamora reported that as the
craft rose vertically and then moved away, he observed an
estimated four-foot-long elliptical opening on the bottom
of the object, out of which the flame issued".
He further explains [the asterisks denotes Stanford's
emphasis], "Zamora felt a distinct heat on his body
coming from the craft's exhaust, but *there was not
nearly so much heat as there should have been if this
were a rocket's exhaust of equal size and brilliance*.
The sound made up for it, however, Zamora thought later.
Something else, though, made the 'flame', streaming
downward only fifteen paces from Zamora, seem unusual.
He told me, 'That roaring flame. It looked like it
should'a bounced [deflected] off the ground, *but it
didn't*.
In fact, *it was more like some fiery Excalibur, actually
penetrating into the rocks and the earth*, instead of
deflecting off to the side as a gaseous rocket exhaust
would have done'."
Stanford adds, "I was puzzled about this as I stood at
the landing site that afternoon...".
"Further, after the roaring engine was cut off, the craft
accelerated away in complete silence".
"One may wonder why two different propulsive modes were
evidently utilized by the Socorro craft".
One may indeed.
What type of flame, accompanied by a tumultuous roar, is
emitted by a landed object which then _slowly_ rises
upwards, yet the flame doesn't evidence any thrust off
the ground, instead seeming as though it must be going
straight through the soil.
Answer; a thrust that isn't being blasted downwards at
all, it only gives that expected appearance. The flame is
actually being directed upwards, that's why the object
above has a large opening at the bottom, it's the reason
why the object is able to lift off slowly and
subsequently no longer need the burner to provide
'power'.
The Socorro 'flying saucer', was evidently a hot-air
balloon.
For such a classic sighting, when we analyse the data,
Zamora hardly had time to observe anything at all.
In a detailed report to authorities, Zamora explained
that as the roaring flame descended, "Did not notice any
object at top, did not note if top of flame was level.
Sun was to west and did not help vision. Had green sun
glasses over prescription glasses. Could not see bottom
of flame because it was behind the hill. No smoke noted.
Noted some 'commotion' at bottom--dust?".
His initial glimpse of the object and occupants was,
"when I had stopped, for possibly two seconds or so, to
glance at the object". He adds, "At the time, I didn't
pay much attention to what it was".
Zamora confirms that at closest proximity, "As soon as
saw flame and heard roar, turned away, ran away from
object but did turn head toward object".
How many steps did Zamora take from his car, before
fleeing from the object which he thought was about to
blow up.
Incredibly, only three.
Although not mentioned in his statement, it's confirmed
by Zamora in an interview with Stanford: "I turned [from
the car] and headed for the object, stepping pretty fast.
Had gone maybe three paces toward object when I heard a
sudden, very loud, ear-splitting roar".
Therefore, the entire duration of Zamora's clearest view
was three steps forward and one glance backwards.
Zamora further confirmed how greasewood bushes had
obscured the object's underside.
Compounding matters was that as Zamora fled, "Bumped leg
on car--back Fender area... Glasses fell to ground, left
them there".
Although gas-filled balloons were around since the 18th
century, the first modern hot-air balloon flight had
taken place on October 10, 1960, when renowned New Mexico
balloonist, Ed Yost, took to the air in Bruning,
Nebraska, piloting a prototype hot-air balloon
manufactured by Raven Industries.
Even by April 1964, there were only some 20 hot-air
balloons in the United States.
I wrote to Aerostar (who had since taken over Raven
Industries) and Jim Winker replied:
"Your e-mail to Aerostar was referred to me. I am retired
from Raven Ind. now, but I was there for most of their
first 35 years".
"This was about the time that Raven's hot air balloon
work received its first significant worldwide publicity,
and was a result of a first-ever crossing of the English
Channel by a hot air balloon in April 1963".
"I had heard the name Zamora before, but I never knew
what incident he was associated with, nor the details of
his sighting, such as where it happened. You have
clarified that and it allows me a new line of thought".
"I have long been aware of some hot air balloon flights
in New Mexico in the early to mid-1960s for research
purposes. These have always been referred to as the
'Albuquerque flights', but Socorro is not all that far
from ABQ and there may be a connection. I saw a film of
those flights about 10 years ago and at least some of
them were with an all-white balloon, having a platform
for the crew".
"At the time of that viewing, I made some notes that I
still have. The balloons of that description were built
between Dec 1962 and Feb 1963. I was not able to pinpoint
the flight dates, but speculated then that they were
probably late 1963 or into 1964. This is beginning to
sound very significant".
Perhaps more so than first realised; Zamora's sighting
was only one of many which took place in New Mexico
during that period, as 'UFO' researcher Coral Lorenzen
described, "Other tales of objects similar in appearance,
which 'buzzed' cars and homes in the general area from
Las Cruces north to Albuquerque along the Rio Grande
river, seem to support the evidence that strange objects
were flying and landing there".
Ed Yost was contacted and confirmed those contemporary
flights were launched from a site on the banks of the Rio
Grande, north of Albuquerque.
However, according to Yost's recollections, none of the
flights landed near Socorro.
On 1 July, 2003, the CIA replied to my Freedom Of
Information Act request for records pertaining to,
"Central Intelligence Agency operations involving hot-air
balloon flights during the years 1960-1964 inclusive":
"The CIA can neither confirm nor deny the nonexistence of
records responsive to your request".
It was duly clarified:
"I simply wish to establish whether one of those
'Albuquerque flights' was responsible for Zamora's close
encounter and ideally, if other flights tie-in with the
Rio Grande 'UFO' sightings".
"Bottom line; is there any documentary evidence which
either confirms or disproves that on 24 April, 1964, the
apparent hot-air balloon which landed near Socorro was
related to CIA test-flight/training, etc. operations?"
The CIA remain resolute:
"Please be advised that our 1 July, 2003 response to you
also applies to this subject and timeframe".
How though to rationalise the burning brush, Zamora's
depiction of both figures as possibly slightly smaller
than adults or the landing site indentations?
There was one curious aspect of the significantly
persuasive trace evidence - it was inconsistent with a
rocket thruster. Instead of burning radiating from a
central point, it was a 'finger of fire'.
Stanford writes of State Patrolman Jordan, "Jordan said
that what most impressed him at the landing site was the
way the 'flame' had evidently 'sliced' a large greasewood
bush, located almost centrally in the landing gear
quadrangle, without leaving any signs of strong
turbulence, as the exhaust of a powerful rocket thrust
unit or even the whirling of helicopter blades would have
done".
"'The flame from that damn thing just sliced that
greasewood bush in half, just burned it off clean like a
blade of fire had cut right through it'."
Could a hot-air balloon's burner produce such a
flamethrower effect; New Mexico author Karl Pflock
recalled a local incident, "A while back, a hot-air
balloon landed near my home. While trying to get airborne
again with the help of myself, a couple of my neighbors
and their chase gang, the two balloonists' gondola basket
tipped over just as they fired their burners. Result:
minor brush fire".
Circa April 1964, hot-air balloon platforms were
primitive, sometimes merely a wooden board.
The official case investigator was Dr J. Allen Hynek,
former Chairman of the Astronomy Department at
Northwestern University and who became a consultant for
the US Air Force's 'Project Blue Book'.
In a private memo dated 20 May, 1964, Hynek wrote that,
contrary to the landing marks being 'impressions', they
were in fact, "4 rectangular scrapings as if a
rectangular object had scraped along digging into the
ground...".
Capt. Richard T. Holder from White Sands also visited the
site and commented, "When an object blasts off by rocket
or jet propulsion, there's usually damage or debris in
the area. But there was no indication of that type of
disturbance".
Although Zamora's report states, "possibly they were
small adults or large kids" and this has been construed
by some as 'small creatures', it's lesser known that
Capt. Holder - one of the first to investigate - noted
that apparent footprints were, "about the size of a
footprint a bigfooted teenager would make".
Small creatures with big feet... presuming we can safely
discount Hobbits, there's no riddle here.
It's a premise which can now be applied to this entire,
extraordinary, story.
It wasn't Zamora who popularised the tale as a celebrated
UFO incident and somewhat ignored in Zamora's statement
was his following description:
"I ran back to my car and as I ran back, I kept an eye on
the object. I picked up my glasses (I left the sun
glasses on ground), got into the car, and radioed to Nep
Lopez, radio operator, to 'look out of the window, to see
if you could see an object'. He asked what is it? I
answered 'It looks like a balloon'."
As Jim Winker and legendary hot-air balloonist Don
Piccard, respectively, concur:
"I can't do much but agree that all evidence points to a
hot air balloon".
"I would take the position that your surmises are correct
and that the case is closed. Any further investigation
could be considered tilting at windmills".
[END]
(c) James Easton, November, 2003