This is the third part of a series looking at a case from 1968 that involved sightings of UFOs on October 24, 1968, by ground observers stationed at the ICBM missile complex surrounding Minot AFB in North Dakota. A B-52 was flying in the area, and the pilot was requested to change course and investigate. The result was a UFO encounter that was caught on photographs of the B-52 radarscope, and the pilot, Maj. James A. Partin, and co-pilot, Captain Bradford Runyon, reported that they’d had a visual sighting of the object when it was on the ground. In addition to the sightings, it was reported that the outer and inner perimeter alarms of the missile site designated Oscar-7 went off and that a padlocked entry hatch there was found open with a plug-style gate secured by a combination lock removed from it. The case was officially examined by the officer in charge of UFO investigations at the base who provided details and evidence to Project Blue Book. The Blue Book conclusion was that what was seen was possibly a combination of “anomalous propagation” of radar returns, a plasma ball, and celestial bodies. It was also concluded that the break-in was unrelated. The case lay dormant for 30 years until Runyon contacted the Center for UFO Studies and filled out a sighting report form. The case caught the interest of members of the newly formed Sign Historical Group and they did a thorough investigation that included many interviews with witnesses. They’ve made material they gathered available as part of the Sign Oral History Project on a website devoted to the case. In Part III, we’ll look at the reports by the ground observers. Read more →

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