Baku: Senator Russell sees disc UFOs from train
On October 4, 1955, U.S. Senator Richard B. Russell Jr. and companions observed two disc-shaped objects ascending near a Soviet train near Baku, Azerbaijan. The crafts rose slowly with rotating surfaces before accelerating northward.
Background
Sighting
On October 4, 1955 at 19:10, Senator Richard B. Russell Jr. (D-GA), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, noticed two disc-shaped flying objects near the tracks of a Soviet train close to Baku, Azerbaijan, while travelling in the USSR. He called over his interpreter Reuben Efron and his aide Col. E. U. Hathaway. All three witnesses saw the second object clearly; a fourth witness went unnamed.
Description of the Objects
One object rose almost vertically at a moderate rate, its outer surface turning slowly to the right, to about 6,000 feet. There it accelerated rapidly to the north. The second object repeated this about a minute later. The lift-off point lay 1–2 miles south of the tracks.
Aftermath and Evidence
Lieut. Col. Thomas Ryan interviewed Efron and Hathaway on October 13 in Prague. The report was classified TOP SECRET and declassified in 1985. Documents were obtained through FOIA. It was mentioned in a CIA bulletin. The standing of the witnesses has been cited as giving it high credibility.