Círculos en el campo y otras formaciones. Argentina

Charred Aliens in Argentina? When The Dead No Longer Speak

by Luis Burgos (FAO-ICOU)

PREFACE

 Anyone who deals with statistical data concerning Argentina's UFO case histories should know that the first major UFO wave occurred in 1962. While very interesting flaps occurred in 1947 (at the start of the contemporary UFO age), 1950 and 1954, it was from 1962 onward that veritable 'cascades' began to occur: 1965, 1967 and 1968, the latter being Argentina's record-breaking year, one that is hard to beat in the present age.

 The first major *daily* wave also took place in 1962, that is to say, a major amount of UFO reports in a 24-hour period. It took place in the early morning hours of May 13 between 02:00 and 04:00 hours, with nine provinces being affected and six cylindrical craft - escorted by several spherical objects - being reported, generating some thirty sighting reports. A true nationwide mass sighting.

 THE ACTUAL CASE HISTORIES OF THE MONTH OF MAY

 This month signals the start of the 1962 wave. We can highlight some significant events, such as:

 At 0300 on May 9, Juan Carlos Garcia, an employee at the Puerto Belgrano Naval Aviation Base, was traveling with friends along National Hwy 35 when they saw a luminous object that chased their Jeep for a few minutes, while releasing two lesser craft at the same time.

 On May 12 at 0410 hours, three truck drivers traveling along National Hwy 35 near Chasicó Creek reported a "luminous train" traveling at a considerable height, producing a buzzing sound, and splitting in two sections which headed westward (more on this case later on...)

 On May 14 at 0300 hours, Aurelio Lilli witnessed the descent of a flying object and the figure of an occupant within the structure in the vicinity of Zapala (Neuquén).

 On May 18 at 0230 hours, a resident of Bahía Blanca saw a small disc-shaped object, measuring barely 30 centimeters in diameter, reddish blue in color, flying at less than 100 meters over the Villa Harding Green airfield.

 On May 20, a local woman from Spelluzi (La Pampa) witnessed a UFO landing and the subsequent emergence of two very tall occupants who walked robotically. The intruders waved to the woman to come closer, which had the exact opposite effect, causing her to flee and suffer a nervous breakdown, which was treated at a local clinic. Police found a circular mark on the ground with flattened grass that gave the impression of having been "burned" (dehydrated).

 On May 21 at 1930 hours, photographer Miguel Thomé of Bahía Blanca's "La Nueva Provincia" took two photos of a white-hued UFO flying at low altitude. The object prowled over several sections of the city for some 20 minutes.

 Also on the 21st, a resident of Guaymallén (Mendoza) reported seeing a mysterious, small flying object, one meter in diameter and flying at a height of less than 50 meters. He described it as "straight in the front and semi-circular in the back."

 On May 22, in a field in Pehuajó (Buenos Aires) two hunters came across a mysterious object on the ground in broad daylight. Three small occupants could be seen - one within the object and a third one outside, inspecting the landscape. They fled when one of the witnesses shouted. Grass was left flattened in the landing area.

 At 1910 hours the same day, an air squadron from the Comandante Espora Naval Aviation Base made visual contact with for 35 minutes with several unknown objects prowling the region. Some of the aircraft suffered interference with their systems. The main witnesses were Lt. Rodolfo César Galdós and his two students, Roberto Wilkinson and Eduardo Figueroa.

 Two hours later, Hipólito Paloacaá took a sequence of five UFOs in the locality of City Bell, near the city of La Plata.

 At 0400 hours one early morning in late May, four residents of Jujuy reported witnessing the landing of a spherical UFO in the rain. The object remained on the ground for an hour before taking off.

THE SITUATION AT THE TIME

 While there were political differences among the military commands, the start of the infamous and sad strife between "blues and reds" was still four months away, in September 1962. Even so, UFO incursions did not cease during this moment.

 Faced with this agglomeration of reports from several Argentinean provinces, the reader can imagine the commotion this caused in the press and among the public. Since the late 1950s there had been talk of USO incursions (Unidentified Submarine Objects) in the Atlantic littoral, especially the region of the Patagonian gulfs, with official action in all cases. All of this resulted in the UFO phenomenon taking up a considerable part of print media with the arrival of the '62 wave. Furthermore, for some years now, the Argentinean Air Force and Navy had been using "Technical Information Forms" which were sent to witnesses to be filled out and returned to the UFO Section of the Air Force Chief Command and the Central Office of the Navy Chief Command, both located in Buenos Aires, and engaging in study and investigation of the phenomenon. Therefore, there wasn't so much suspicion or secrecy in having public opinion learn of the treatment given to the subject by officialdom - a situation that would endure until the late 1960s. In turn, information was also being gathered and disseminated from the Punta Indio and Comandante Espora air bases, as arises from documentation forwarded to Jose Miguel Lugones in 1967 due to the well-known Aeroparque case, which was later provided to us by Lugones himself, having been an advisor for over 30 years.

THE TWO MOST FAMOUS CASES

 We can say that these correspond to Miguel Thomé, the local press photographer, whose May 21 episode was attached as a CIA classified document under number C00015254, recently declassified by the United States along with a considerable dossier. But the most incredible aspect is that it was filed based on "press clippings' without further research. In this case, a mere AFP newswire from the Lima office, worthy of Ripley's Believe It Or Not.

 The second event, which involved the military, corresponds to May 22 case involving the aviators of the Comandante Espora naval station, which led to the issuance of an Official Naval Communiqué on the very same

THE CRASHED UFO YARN

 In the middle of all this, a story 'never-told-before' emerged only a few months ago. One of those unidentified flying objects had crashed in Argentinean territory only a few months ago - more specifically, in the vicinity of Bahia Blanca - and that it involved military figures of that time. This vehicle from outer space was taken to the United States by special air transport sent to the country to take over the situation (there was carnal knowledge with the USA at that time already). As a tale of wonder it's great, but what of the proof? In 1962, nearly 60 years ago, no one ever mentioned a crashed UFO, or to have seen a damaged one that could have crashed. Why is this materializing six decades later? It's as if 30, 40 or 50 years later, stories and rumors concerning a UFO crash are emerging with the aim to endow an event with credibility after the witnesses are all dead...everything turns to legend.

THE ARGENTINEAN ROSWELL

 As if this wasn't enough, the same sources giving rise to the foregoing story have returned with an even more daring one: "Charred Alien Bodies". Yes, it may be hard to believe, but how did this all come about? We have to go back to the well-known story involving the truck drivers on the morning of May 12: siblings Valentino and Mauro Tomassini, traveling with Humberto Zenobi by truck along National Hwy 35 between the towns of Berraondo and San German, in southern Buenos Aires province, not far from Bahia Blanca.

 Upon crossing Chasicó Creek, they noticed a very strange object flying at low altitude, and they stopped the truck. The time was 4:10 in the morning. The object looked like a "luminous train" which split in two, with both parts heading westward with a soft buzzing sound. On the next day, over the same spot over which the UFO had lurked, a large imprint measuring 60 meters in diameter was found, with 'dehydrated' grass and a damp, lead colored substance in its middle. It was analyzed by the Universidad Nacional del Sur de Bahia Blanca and it turned out to be a mixture of calcium carbonate and potassium. I made mention of this case some time ago, given that the same elements had been found in Trancas (Tucumán) on October 21 1963 - 17 months later!

 In short, the Trancas Incident found its "twin brother" with the passing of time. But there is also a significant detail: a number of 'charred insects' were found in ground mark's vegetation, according to news sources of the time. Was this fact the reason for changing the case from "insects" to 'bodies' with the passing of time? Regardless, some disturbed mind with unknown aims wanted and still wants to promote this Chasicó incident along with the other two - something that never took place! Using the names of anonymous and deceased military personnel.

 At a distance, 'someone' attempted to link the case involving photographer Thomé (May 21), the aviator sighting (May 22) and the Chasicó landing (May 12) to weave a single UFO story that took place in 10 days, lacking any support, taking advantage of the rise in UFO activity that year to make it credible, transcendent, before-and-after ufology, a Creole Roswell, the Navy's best kept secret, etc.

MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER'S STORY

 I remember my great-grandfather telling me a story when I was only 13 years old and was only just setting out on this lengthy ufological journey. As far as he could remember, "a strange object fell from the sky" had fallen from the sky around 1920. Many compared it to a large stone from space, surely weighing many tons. But - listen to this - the few locals who reached the impact site said the object was unknown for its time, as it did not resemble any known aircraft. Even more astounding was the fact that two small, charred bodies were found inside it, with very large heads. Word was issued to the police and even elements of the military reported to the scene. Over time, the incident became a focus of attention throughout the region and it was always remembered, as it had gone beyond the borders of the district. When I asked for proof or a search of witnesses, my great-grandfather said: "No son, don't trouble yourself. The few witnesses to the case are all dead. Only the myth remains."

 A great remark by my great-grandfather, who could have been yours. As it turns out, with over seven decades of the UFO phenomenon, the protagonists of the spectacular incidents of the 40s, 50s and 60s have - by natural law - passed away, and all we have left is the story or investigation done at the time, whether by journalists or UFO researchers of such times. Fifty or sixty years later, we cannot 'attach' more events beyond the ones that already occurred. We cannot tack on a UFO crash where there was none, much less 'charred alien bodies' on the ground. The cases took place as they were described at that time. If we want to garnish them like strawberries on a dessert for our own benefit, we already know where this UFO circus will lead us: more UFO congresses, conferences, forums, etc.