By Ray Hanania
When people talk about UFOs and the Middle East, much of the discussion focuses on Israel’s stealth abilities to massacre people using fast-flying jet fighters made in America or missiles that come out of nowhere and kill scores of people.
But occasionally, a few UFOs — Unidentified Flying Objects — involve the extra-terrestrial kind and have nothing to do with Israel terrorism, or violent hit squads sent to murder Arabs.
One such UFO sighting occurred on March 12, 1958, according to newly released government documents addressing 12,000 UFO sightings that took place between 1947 and 1969 that have been released to the public and are not available on a searchable online database at www.ProjectBlueBook.theBlackVault.com.
The March 12, 1958 incident took place over Adana, Turkey but involved a UFO that was seen moving out of nearby Syria investigated by U.S. Government officials who had been tipped off by local authorities who said residents had seen a UFO streaking across the morning sky around 3:30 am local time.
As always, the U.S. Government immediately denied that the sighting was a UFO or anything extra-terrestrial, and described the object as being an aircraft, much like in the way Israel always denies that its military forces had in fact murdered Arab murder victims. Everyone knows the super secret Israeli Mossad (Israel’s version of the mukhabarat) denies anything that makes Israel look bad. And for governments, the presence of UFOs suggests that there is a power greater than their own, so denying the existence of UFOs is a way for tyrants, dictators and monarchies to preserve their own top level authority.
The incident was important enough to create a six-page document that explored the circumstances of the UFO sighting, which had been reported to Turkish and Syrian police and government authorities.
The UFO was described as a “fast moving orange light” that zigzagged as it streaked across the sky suggesting it wasn’t a missile, as is often claimed by government deniers of UFO sightings.
The report notes: “There have been reported overflights into Turkey from the Soviet and Arab Bloc countries. It should be noted that Adana is just outside the Northwest border of Syria . (Secret)”
The report continues:
“A word of explanation regarding source ‘s statement that the light appeared to stand still for a brief period; and that there was an apparent absence of sound. Based upon the many similar UFO incidents investigated and analyzed by the center over the years:
“a. Jet exhausts and particularly afterburners in operation when viewed from a zero-angle of sighting on the ground, e. g. when the aircraft is in a climb and viewed directly from the rear at night and from a distance, often appears to remain motionless in space until the pilot goes into a turn. This 1s a well-known illusion and reported quite often.”
“b. As you know, on very dark nights it is possible to observe aircraft from their jet or afterburner flame, with no sound. This also holds true with the aircraft condensation trails during the day.”
The conclusion that rejects the possibility of a UFO explained with typical government concern:
“3 . On the basis of the data given, there is no reason to believe that the “unknown light” observed was anything other than a high-altitude jet aircraft from a neighboring “Eastern Bloc” country, assuming, of course, that all friendly aircraft flights were accounted for. (Secret).”
The report is signed by Francis Archer, Scientific Advisor.
The report originated in Adana, Turkey and then was dispatched to American officials in Madrid, Spain, and then to an Air Force Base in Colorado, and then to Washington D.C. before being stored in an Air Force facility in Ohio.
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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