REPLY TO YOUR NOTE REGARDING GORDON H. SCHERER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81R00560R000100040011-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 6, 2003
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: August 31, 1960
• Content Type: LETTER

STATINTL
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31 Ault 1,3E
Gordon H. Scherer,
1. We have investigated this with the Air Force and find that
ice. Golden telegraphed the ia--cretWy of State along the Mme lines.
has been c ing on oorm -e with the Air ?crce for quite
G Olden.) The Stag: Deportment referred t b*
teale
to the Air Force who, in ttwn, answered Mrs. Gm n to the effect
that the U.S. lval Attach *valuation indicates that the pictures
wus false- The Photo was tam by a free lance photographer noted
f
developed or his trick photograpty-. it was not, as Dh*s. Gad,en states,
in the senft cr arVow.
2. 1 do not believe we should cow o :saves with quest
in Mrs. Golden's letter that do not concern CIA; therefore, have
co ed only those question. The Air P ce is responsible and is
doing a very good job of public info eticn in this field and it has
been t, cedto refer all aatters to th~m- when it does not
# 1icate CIA..
3. I think a w Naval ett&che's final c+tsammr on the whole affair
sump it up vexT veil: "It is the reporting ofi"irear's private opinion
that a flying saucer S ting would be a 1iksly at the very barren
i xd of Trindede, as everyoee knows Martians are ext sly contort
loving crags."
request.
Attached is a draft reply
DIA and NAVY review(s) completed.
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STATINTL
31 August 1960
Reply to your Note Regarding Gordon H. Scherer
1. We have investigated this with the Air Force and find that
Mrs. Golden tele raphed the Secretary of State along the same lines.
She has been carrying on correspondence with the Air Force for quite
some time on the general subject of UFO's. (Attached is their
reply to Mrs. Golden.) The State Department referred the telegram
to the Air Force who, in turn, answered Mrs. Golden to the effect
that the U. S. Naval Attache evaluation indicates that the picture
was false. The photo was taken by a free lance photographer noted
for his trick photography. It was not, as Mrs. Golden states,
developed in the presence of anyone.
2. 1 do not believe we should concern ourselves with questions
in Mrs. Golden's letter that do not concern CIA, therefore, we have
covered only those questions. The Air Force is responsible and is
doing a very good job of public information in this field and it has
been our past procedure to refer all matters to them when it does not
implicate CIA.
3. I think our Naval attache's final cos ent on the whole affair
sums it up very ve ,: "It is the reporting officer's private opinion
that a flying saucer sighting would be unlikely at the very barren
Island of Trindade, as everyone knows Martians are extremely comfort
loving creatures."
4. Attached is a draft reply for Congressman Scherer per your
request.
STATINTL
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Available
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 TATINTL
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29 August 1960
Your telegram of 16 August 1960, addressed to the Secretary
of State, concerning a Brazilian UFO picture has been referred to
this Office.
For your information, the U. S. Nary evaluated this picture
as a hoax and official records indicate this was trick photography.
No witnesses were present while the photographer developed the
negatives.
Sincerely,
LAIr mcz J. TACJCiR
Lt. Colonel, UBA)
Public Information Divistat
Offioe of Inforaatien
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 INFORMATION REPORT
OFFICE OF NAVAL. INTELLIGENCE
DATE OF IN FO-IATION EPpRRT
21-27 Feb 1958 Q.NAV .Q.M ,.,o., I... i EMp~arRC 1958
- - --- --- - -----
Naval Attache Rio Os OURC s VALUATION REQUEST NO
s ~'ane .ro Press -3
1250, lens opening 8, and were developed in a laboratory in ALT?IFANTF
'ALPA?'HA, This gentleman has a long history of photographic trickshots
and is well known for such items as false pictures of treasure on th-
oc--ir floor. Another time he prepared a rurposely humorous article,
r ' 1isaed in a ragazine, entitled "A Flying Saucer Hunted "e at 'Tome",
using trick photography, Barauna, after the release of his latest
''flying -aucer" photographs, told the press that the Navy secret service
interrogated him for four hours concerning his photos. "The negatives
were projected in large size on a screen. If there was any trick, the
?i ;ic projection rould have revealed it. After questioning by officers
of t , ?!,stado-Maior, the Chief of the Secret Service, the senior officer
pr-sal:t said to me, 'I am going to ask you a few 'uestions. 'on't be
1. Announcement. On 21 February 1958, two of the leading newspapers
in Rio fe Janeirr printed photographs showing alleged flying saucer
photographed fro'! Prazilian naval ship, ALTTIRANPE SALDANHA, at approxi-
mately midday on 16 January 1958 while the ship was anchored off Trindade
Island some 600 miles east of Rio c'e Janeiro. The ship at the time was
engaged in research as part of Brazilian Navy participation in the Inter-
national Geophysical Year.
~. Photographer, The photographs themselves were taken by a free lance
rhotograoher Almiro Barauna using his Rolleiflex camera set at spend
SUEF-
FRAZTL - Navy - Flying Saucer Photographed from ALTTTRAPTTT' SALPANHA
BRIEF ..N --.T. 1E MD. AN ON EASE. ENTD. 11L IFI NQ 9600.
Encl: (1) Set of 11 Brazilian Navy photographs of subject
=FA PWr(S BY ONI M. 1=108 4BRII ]3~2511e-- _
11EEP0A-Dk- UNPPOOESSED INFORMATION. PLANS ANLOR PCLIE- SHOULD NOT BE EVOLVED OH MOEIE.LD
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Commerce ComNav Phil BuSandA OP31
AEC Com1STFlt BuShitS FOP-40
USCG Com2NDFIt _I BuAer 0P41
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,U.S. Naval Attache, Rio
Toned
offended because I don't doubt the authenticity of Your photos appear
to hear from you. If you were going to make a flying saucer
a negative, how would you proceed?' Comandante, I am an able photo-
grapher specialized in trick photography-bet---not one wva.d,.wIthst4rAd
close and accurate examination."
3. Brazilian Navy Stand. immediately after the photographs of the
flying saucer were publicized, the Brazilian Navy refused to make any
official statement confirming or denying the incident. However, proofs
from the original negatives were sent to the other armed forces and to
the President via an officer-messenger who related the complete story.
Accord4_ng to the press, the narration so impressed? W. Kubitschek that
he became convinced of the veracity of the happening.
On Zit February, three days after the photos were first published
in the press, the Navy Ministry final ~e the official
reference to the reports appearing press alas o the a Navynge
is opposed to divulge the facts concerning the appearance
object over Trindade Island, this Cabinet declares that ormation
has no basis. This Ministry has no motive to impede the who
photographs of the referred to object taken by W. Almiro Bars n,
and in the who
was at Trindade Island at the invitation of the Navy,
of a large number of the crew of ALMIRANPL SALDANHA from whose deck the
-,hotographs were taken. Clearly, this Ministry will not be able to
make any pronouncement concerning the object seen because the photo-
graphs do not constitute sufficient proof for such purpose."
4. Statements of SALDANHA Pe al. On the morning after the photos
of the f[y ng saucer were publisnoa in the press ( February 22), the
ALMIRANTE SALDANHA departed Rio to continue its mission in connection
with the IGY. Two days later however, the ship docked at Santos
(February 24) for voyage repairs and this was the first chance that
newspapermen had an opportgnity to interview officers and men aboard.
The Assistant Naval Attache was in Santos at this time 10 ?* co~ ion USC
a with the ortunity to v wsAi abooard. TThe coommtanding3 of officer8 Capitao-de-
had er
Mar-a -Guerra (CAPT) Jose Santos Saldanha da Gams, had not seen the
object and was noncommittal. The executive officer also had not seen it
but, arriving shortly thereafter, had formed the opinion that those on
deck had seen it. The captain had reported that hcretary, da iscuss DR,
had seen it but this officer when personally questioned a her was
ing the matter. Later, it was learned that the Mpneographere the door
accompanied to the dark room by
while Barauna developed the negatives alone.
At the time of the official visiS of t h e cesmandin froffoffice erg of
WESTWIND to ALMIRANTE SALDANHA, Captalp
cussed the flying saucer and showed the original proofs to the callers
but again did not commit himself. M MTI11EMITI191
 5. Publicity. The press reports after the publication of the photo-
graphs covered a great deal of newspaper space for about a week, tending
to prove or disprove the authenticity of Barauna's photographs. DIARIO
CARICCA reported that personnel of SALDANHA were under rigid orders of
silence. 0 GLOBO published a story with photographs by photographer,
Jean Manzon, of flying saucers (china) taken at Cabo Frio.
Federal Deputy Sergio Magalhees sent a note to the Navy Ministry
on 27 February protesting the Navy's failure to secure sworn statements
of witnesses. "For the first time in flying saucer history, the
phenomenon was attended by large numbers of persons belonging to a
military force which give these latest photographs an official stamp.
Threats to national security require greater official attention and
action," said the Deputy. In the middle-of,all.the publielty, other M
"flying saucer" sighting reports came out including a naval officer who
saw a fly_iug saucer a month before sighting from SALDANHA off the coast
of rsp -ito Santo. CO and crew of ATA T'IPENTE saw flying sauce"
several days before S4LDANHA sighting but kept information secret.
 am
CLASSIFICATION
U.S. Naval Attache, Rio
1. Most flying saucer stories are not worth wasting much time or
effort, but this story apparently substanti*ted by official Navy
photographs taken in the presence of large number of Navy personnel
under closely controlled and almost ideal circumstances should have
absolutely proved the existence of an unidentified flying object.
Unfortunately, further investigation provided only frustration at every
turning. A number of Brazilian Navy officers profess to believe the
story implicitly but whether they have more information than we is
unknown. -
2. There appear to be only two explanations for this peculiar Incident:
(a) Some overwhleming power has told the Brazilian Navy not to
officially verify this incident (which they should easily be able to do,
if it occurred) nor to deny it (which they should easily be able to do,
if it is a fake). I personally do not believe that anyone has told the
Brazilian Navy to keep quiet abooit it because there has been no hint of
such suppreesior: in either Brazilian or U.S. circles; and also because
I dqubt their control of the individual officers and men is good enough.
to hold the line.
(b) the whole thing is a fake publicity stunt put on by a Brooked
photographer and the Brazilian Navy fell for it. This seems like the
most likely considering Brazilian's love for sensationalism end gossip,
their well known propensity for never lett&the truth stand in the way
of a good story, and general bureaucratic inefficiency. '
3. In addition, the photographs furnished by the Brazilian Navy are
unconvincing. Details of the land are extremely sharp but the dise
Is hazy and has little contrast and shows no shadow effect. It also
appears that the object was inverted in photograph 2 compared to 1 and
3. Also the papers have mentioned extremely high velocities and there
appears to be no lateral blurring as would occur with any reasonable
shutter speed.
1t. It is the reporting officer's private opinion that a flying saucer
sighting would be unlikely at the very barren island of Trindade, as
everyone knows Martians are extremely comfort 'Loving creatures.