Flying Saucer Review December 1984 [antikvár]

UFO ALERT AT A NATO BASE IN ITALY(Translation from Italian) Autonio ChiumientOThe author, who lives in Pordenone in North-Eastern Italy, and therefore very near to the NATO Base mentioned in this report, has been for some years past the most active member of the Governing Board of C.U.N. (Centro Ufologico Nazionale, the Italian National UFO Research Centre) and earlier this year he became its Vice-President. The President of C.U.N, is Signore Mario Cingolani, who lives in Rome, and our old friend Dr Roberto Pinotti of Florence (Firenze) is in charge of the External Secretariat of the Group and the Documentation. Antonio Chiumiento is now also the Vice-Director of the Committee responsible for C.U.N.'s Bulletin, ifte NotiziarioUFO.FSR 28/25, 28/6 and 29/1 have contained interesting examples of Signor Chlumiento's investigative work the encounter with the "Little Oriental Airman" near San Giorgio di Nogaro, and the "Encounter with 'Rat-Faces'" near Gallio. EDITORThe scene of this important event, which took place during the night of June 30/July 1, 1977, is the NATO Base at Aviano, one of the most important NATO centres in the north-eastern Italian zone known as TRE VENEZIE (THREE VENETIAS). Aviano, a populous town, lies at an altitude of 159 m. above sea-level, at the foot of Mount Cavallo, and on the edge of the Pordenone Plain.By July 1st, the news of the occurrence had already spread throughout the entire Aviano region, and we received details of the matter, not only through trusty local sources but also, in a very particular fashion, through a number of indirect witnesses of the event, and especially, from a certain N.C.O. in our own (Italian) Air Force, whose name for obvious reasons we do not disclose, although full details about him are recorded in our files. On the day following the episode he collected together conversations and interviews which he had had with personnel of the NATO Base and compiled this Report of which we give a digest below.A Flying Saucer Over the "Victor Alert" AreaOn June 30, 1977, the NATO Base had been closed to air traffic as the final preparatory work was being carried out for the Air Parade due to be held on the following Sunday namely on July 3. The episode occurred during the night of June 30 to July I At about 3.00 a.m. on Friday, July 1, a soldier of the United States, James Blake, noticed that, above the reserved area of the air-field and precisely above thearea called "Victor Alert" where there were two military planes kept under guard in huts, there was a "light" of a remarkable size. It was stationary at a height of about 100 m. Once the Commandant of the Base had been notified, the first security detachments were rushed to the spot.Furthermore the radar-operator of the Base who was not on duty that night (because the airport was closed and no air traffic either of transit or of close approach was therefore anticipated) was called back into service. It should also be mentioned that the radar subsequently did register the presence of the UFO over the Base, but nevertheless it must be emphasised that the whole of the air-field's instruments were 'dead' for a certain period of time, and consequently it is presumed that those in the control-tower were 'dead' too.Seen By ManyThe object was observed by the large numbers of military personnel who came rushing up immediately after the sounding of the alarm. The deployment of the forces was kept at a safety distance from the area concerned, which was lit up by the "thing". The UFO was about 50 m. in diameter. It looked like a "spinning-top" or a "disc". It had a dome on its upper . part, was spinning round on its own axis, and was emitting varied colourings of light, changing from white to green and then to red. Furthermore it was emitting a humming noise like the sound of a swarm of bees in flight.The "disc" was vertically above the huts, in the so-called "Victor Alert" zone, the most strictly reserved area of the Base, and not more than a hundred metres from the ground as already stated. It remained there for about one hour.NATO Headquarters in Brussels Informed?Subsequent sources made it clear to us that even the NATO Headquarters in Brussels was advised of the matter during that night. However, such statements, even though confirmed for us by military personages whom we regard as the most reliable, are to be treated as entirely provisional indications and assertions and unfortunately not confirmable at an official level.