REQUEST FOR INFO, UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS.

[Terry W. Colvin]

R 250801Z SEP 76
FM AMEMBASSY RABAT
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 9888
BT
C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 5209
FOR OES ASST SEC FREDERICK IRVING
E.O. 11652: GDS
TAGS: EAIR MILI
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR INFO, UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
1. YESTERDAY, THE 23RD OF SEPTEMBER, COL HOUSNI BENSLIMANE,
COMMANDER OF THE ROYAL GENDARMERIE, REQUESTED TO SEE ME AT
1000 HOURS THE SAME DAY. WHEN HE ARRIVED, COL BENSLIMANE SAID
THAT THE KING HAD SENT HIM TO DISUCSS THE SIGHTINGS OF
UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS (UFO'S) OVER MOROCCO ON THE NIGHT
OF 18-19 SEPTEMBER. ACCORDING TO COL BENSLIMANE, THE GENDARMERIE
HAD RECEIVED CALLS FROG AGADIR, THE MARRAKECH AREA, CASABLANCA,
RABAT, KENITRA AND OTHER AREAS REPORTING THE SIGHTING OF UFO'S
BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 0100 AND 0130, THE NIGHT OF 18-19 SEPTEMBER.
REPORTS FROM THESE WIDELY SEPARATE LOCATIONS WERE REMARKABLY
SIMILAR, I.E., THAT THE OBJECT WAS ON A GENERALLY SOUTHWEST
TO NORTHEAST COURSE, IT WAS A SILVERY LUMINOUS CIRCULAR SHAPE
AND GAVE OFF INTERMITTENT TRAILS OF BRIGHT SPARKS AND FRAGMENTS,
AND MADE NO NOISE. HE PROMISED TO PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS TODAY,
THE 24TH OF SEPTEMBER AND ASKED THAT WE FURNISH ANY INFORMATION
THAT WE MIGHT HAVE ON THESE SIGHTINGS. COL BENSLIMANE SAID THE
KING WAS PERSONALLY INTERESTED. I PROMISED THAT WE WOULD DO WHAT
WE COULD.
2. TODAY, THE 24TH, A MAJOR MOHAMED LISSAOUI OF THE ROYAL
GENDARMERIE MET WITH DATT AND GAVE HIM A SUMMARY OF THE
SIGHTINGS. LISSAOUI ALSO PERMITTED DATT TO LOOK AT DRAWINGS
OF THE UFO PREPARED BY VARIOUS INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING HIMSELF,
WHO HAD SIGHTED THE UFO.
3. THE TIMES OF THE SIGHTINGS VARIED FROM 0100 TO 0200 HOURS
ON THE MORNING OF 19 SEPTEMBER, WITH THE MAJORITY OF THEM
OCCURRING BETWEEN 0100 AND 0130 HOURS. SIGHTINGS WERE REPORTED
FROM AGADIR, KALAA-SRAGHNA, ESSAOUIRA, CASABLANCA, RABAT,
KENITRA, MEKNES AND THE FEZ REGION. THERE WAS GENERAL AGREEMENT
THAT THE UFO WAS PROCEEDING ON AN APPROXIMATELY SOUTH TO NORTH
COURSE, GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE MOROCCAN ATLANTIC COAST, AT
AT ESTIMATED ALTITUDE OF 1,000 METERS, AND THAT THERE WAS
ABSOLUTELY NO SOUND FROM THE UFO.
4. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE UFO FELL INTO TWO GENERAL CATEGORIES,
I.E., A TYPE OF SILVER COLORED LUMINOUS FLATTENED BALL
(DISC-SHAPED), OR A LARGE LUMINOUS TUBE-SHAPED OBJECT.
OBSERVERS REPORTED THAT THE OBJECT INTERMITTENTLY EMITTED
BRIGHT SPARKS FROM THE REAR.
5. MAJOR LISSAOUI SAID HE WAS SENT TO BRIEF DATT ON THE
SUBJECT BECAUSE HE HAD HIMSELF SIGHTED THE UFO WHILE
RETURNING FROM THE CITY OF KENITRA AT ABOUT 0115 IN THE
MORNING. HE DESCRIBED THE UFO AS FLYING PARALLEL TO THE
COAST AT A RELATIVELY SLOW SPEED, AS IF IT WERE AN AIRCRAFT
PREPARING TO LAND. IT FIRST APPEARED TO HIM AS A DISC-SHAPED
OBJECT, BUT AS IT CAME CLOSER HE SAW IT AS A LUMINOUS
TUBULAR-SHAPED OBJECT.
6. I FRANKLY DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF THESE SIGHTINGS,
ALTHOUGH I FIND INTRIGUING THE SIMILARITY OF DESCRIPTIONS
REPORTED FROM WIDELY DISPERSED LOCATIONS. IN ANY EVENT,
I WISH TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND PROMPTLY TO KING HASSAN'S
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION, AND WOULD APPRECIATE ANYTHING
YOU CAN DO TO ASSIST ME IN THIS.
ANDERSON
BT