CIA-UAP-D023, Briefing Notes for Mr. Walter Elder
WAR.gov / Department of War PURSUE Release 05
This document contains briefing material prepared for Mr. Walter N.
Document Highlights
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Short overview
Briefing material prepared for Walter N. Elder, Executive Assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence, on the same November 19, 1964 incident near Puerto Rico.
Why this is interesting
The briefing adds detail the memoranda leave out: weather and visibility on the night, the sensing capability of the U.S. systems nearby, and a radar contact aboard USS Gyatt tracked at more than 3,800 knots over 21 minutes. It also records the visual estimates of the F-8 Crusader pilot who was present. Read together with CIA-UAP-D022, it shows what the agency put in front of the Director’s office rather than only what it filed.
Background
This document contains briefing material prepared for Mr. Walter N. Elder, Executive Assistant to the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), regarding a November 19, 1964, incident allegedly involving unidentified aircraft in the vicinity of Puerto Rico. The previous entry in this collection, CIA-UAP-D022, contains CIA memoranda on the same subject matter. The briefing includes additional details regarding that incident, including a characterization of the meteorological conditions and sensing capabilities of nearby U.S. military collection systems. The briefing states that a radar system aboard USS Gyatt, a guided missile destroyer operating in the vicinity, detected a contact tracking more than 3,800 knots (approximately 4,373 mph) over a period of 21 minutes. The briefing contains visual estimates regarding the phenomenon’s apparent capabilities from the pilot of an F-8 Crusader who was present during the incident.