William E. Smith Interview, 11 July 2001(a)
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some of them were looking at the B-52 and others were looking at celestial objects through the haze, and there was a temperature inversion that night.
WS
Right.
JK
But it doesn't make—you know, no matter what you say, it doesn't make stars move around like that.
WS
No, no.
JK
Then they're trying to explain, here you have this B-52 crew that not only had a visual, but a radar sighting also. They said that there was a possible plasma similar to ball lightning. And that's what caused the radar target and the loss of transmission.
WS
Sure. So they're using logic and reason to say, here's what we think could have been happening.
JK
Yeah. Then, this B-52 on their final go-around, which was at visual altitude, it was low altitude, they saw this orange light ahead of them about, I guess they were about a mile away from it, and as they approached it, you know, they made a turn, a left turn back toward Minot—either right over this thing or just short of it, and the copilot was able to provide information, and even in the report, the pilot, who confirms it, but he's kind of vague about what he saw. I don't think he really wants to talk about it. The Blue Book people are saying, well, the star Vega was on the horizon. Well, some star that's on the horizon, hell, you don't come up to it and fly over the top of it, you know what I mean?
WS
(Laughing) right. Oh, speaking of that, there is one other thing that I recall happening that night. While we were talking, and the capsule crew let me listen in on all their conversations since now they started to believe us. Especially after the B-52 crew had been contacted. We were in contact with Cheyenne Mountain. Is that in your report anyplace?
JK
NORAD, or…?
WS
Yes. We were in contact with them and the capsule crew indicated that—they had indicated that there was something, some radar contact and it was very, very high above in our region, in other words. That's all they would give us. I think they mentioned something about 50 mile—at a 50-mile location above the area that they were in.
JK
Oh, I'll be darned.
WS
And I do recall that because once we started getting these other people involved and Cheyenne Mountain started giving information, that's when people started really being serious about this—on our base, you know. And I do remember that as one of the things also that happened. We were in awe. 50 miles operating this time of night, my
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