AudioBlog: PART 2: A 1968 UFO Incident at Minot AFB

by Charles Lear, author of “The Flying Saucer Investigators.”In
Part I of this blog, we looked at a case from 1968 that involved
sightings of a UFO 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 padlock
removed from it. The case was officially examined by the officer in
charge of UFO investigations at the base, Lt. Col. Arthur Werlich.
He provided details and evidence to Project Blue Book, and they
concluded that what was seen was possibly a combination of
“anomalous propagation” of radar returns, a plasma ball, and
celestial bodies. They 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 II, we’ll look at the key
elements of the case that they uncovered. Read more