Oak Ridge: Engineer deploys radiation detectors
Engineer Lt. Col. John R. Hood placed radiation counters around Oak Ridge National Laboratory's restricted zone to detect unusual radiation amid UFO sightings. He tested with radioactive material and a magnetometer array to probe ionized air effects on radar.
Background
Background
On December 5, 1950, the military responded to numerous UFO reports over the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, a sensitive nuclear facility. Lt. Col. John R. Hood, an engineer, initiated measurements in the restricted area.
Measures
Hood distributed radiation counters to record anomalies. He positioned a radioactive source to test whether ionised air above it could produce radar echoes — a hypothesis for the unusual targets. He also mentioned a magnetometer field, but no results are documented. The aim was to explain UFO-related radar signals.
Witnesses and Evidence
Principal actor: Lt. Col. John R. Hood. Reported via Lt. Col. Patrick W. Hayes to the USAF Director (Spot Intelligence Report 24-109, December 21, 1950). Sources: Loren E. Gross (UFOs: History Vol. 7, 1982); Swords (p. 107).
Significance
The exercise points to the seriousness with which the military treated UFOs over nuclear facilities. It connected radiation, ionisation, and radar, in the middle of the Oak Ridge wave (for instance the October sightings with radiation spikes). No results were published, but it shows a scientific approach.