Ruppelt had one advantage that those who had made the original investigations didn't. He knew of the Navy's high altitude research using huge balloons that were called "Skyhook." He tried to find records that would prove that Skyhook was responsible, but could find nothing that would put one of the balloons over Godman Field at the right time. Because he had no conclusive evidence, he left the case listed as a "probable balloon."
Ruppelt did try to find the evidence. He gathered wind charts that showed if a balloon had been released from Clinton Air Force Base, Ohio on January 7, 1948, it might have been in the right position to cause the sighting over Godman Army Air Field on that date. But Ruppelt could not confirm it.
In 1956, Ruppelt published a book about his experiences as the chief of Project Blue Book. Because he was seen as an insider, when he drew conclusions, they carried some weight. When he said that he could find no records that proved a Skyhook balloon, or any other balloon was responsible, people listened.
Later, the controversy continued to rage. Dr. J. Allen Hynek, who was the scientific consultant for Project Blue Book, said that he didn't believe that Mantell was chasing Venus. He did say, however, "It is possible that Venus was also a cause to this sighting, and was observed by some of the witnesses on the ground. However, the prime culprit is believed to have been the Skyhook balloon released by the Navy. Captain Mantell was attempting to close in one this balloon which was still more than 40,000 feet above him."
When the Air Force ended the barrage of answers, the civilian UFO community was only too ready to pick up. Many of those writing about the Mantell case have suggested that the object was first spotted on radar. There are no accounts of radar sightings in the official records. Ruppelt makes no mention of it. In fact, the earliest reference to radar that I can find is in a book published in 1956. After that book appeared, others have picked up the idea that radar confirmed the UFO.
Others have claimed that Mantell was a World War II ace. Military records show that Mantell was a transport pilot during the war and therefore couldn't have shot down the five enemy aircraft necessary to become an ace. This doesn't mean that Mantell wasn't a good pilot or that he was a careless pilot. It merely proves that he wasn't a fighter pilot and didn't shoot down enemy planes.
In fact, he seemed to have been a very brave man. According to a letter sent to me by Mantell's sister, Bettye Mantell Risley, "Tommy was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his calm and courageous action on D-Day [that is, the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944]. On that day he was ferrying a glider plane to a designated point behind German lines. His instructions were to cut the glider loose and return to base if attacked. Tommy was attacked but proceeded to [his] destination where men in the glider would be with others for mutual safety. He was then able to get his badly damaged plane back to his base in England."
Others have created rumors apparently to make the story more exciting. There are claims that Mantell's last words, suppressed by the Air Force, were about seeing men inside the craft. Others have claimed that Mantell's body was never found. Others have said that Mantell's F-51 had been disintegrated by a ray from the object. None of these claims are supported by fact or documentation or even witness testimony.
So what did happen to Mantell? Can we, after fifty years make any determination about the case? I think the answer is yes, and now that we have access to all the information, we can supply the answer to the mystery.
In a statement given on January 15, 1948, T/Sgt Quinton Blackwell provided clues about the Mantell mystery. Mantell and his planes did attempt to find the object and "At about 1445 or 1450 National Guard 869 [Mantell's plane number] notified Godman Tower he was [at] approximately 15000 feet."
Mantell is then quoted as saying, "I have an object in sight above and ahead of me and it appears to be moving at about half my speed or approximately 180 miles an hour." That, of course, is Mantell's estimate and should not be considered a hard fact.
He was asked for a description, and again, according to Blackwell's statement, said, "It appears to be a metallic object or possibly a reflection of the sun from a metallic object, and it is of tremendous size."
The last communication from Mantell came at about 1515 or 1520, that is, about a quarter after three in the afternoon. He told the men in the tower, "[The object] is directly ahead of me and slightly above, and is now moving at about my speed or better. I am trying to close for a better look."
Other statements of the witnesses, taken at the time of the event or shortly after it, provided additional clues. One of the witnesses said of the object, "It was huge, fluid. It had a metallic sheen and looked like an upside-down ice cream cone."
There are also a number of drawings in the official file. These were made by the men who were in the tower during the incident. The drawings look like an upside-down ice cream cone. Or, to put a different face on it, they look like a skyhook balloon seen from a long way.
The solution to this case would have come much sooner had the Air Force not been interested in disproving UFOs but had been interested in finding answers. Clearly Venus has nothing to do with this sighting. The fact that it was in the sky near the right location at the time is irrelevant and has confused people for much too long. Venus, as a culprit, has been eliminated from the case.
Second, there is no need to create a number of balloons or other unidentified and unreported aircraft in the area to find a solution. All the talk of another balloon or object is also irrelevant.
Given the descriptions provided, the fact that Skyhook balloons were being launched, and given the size and shape of those balloons, it seems reasonable to believe that Mantell chased a Skyhook. Neither he, nor anyone else at Godman Army Air Field, would have been familiar with the Skyhooks. They were classified in 1948. They certainly would have been huge, fluid, and would have looked metallic because they were made of polyethylene.
When the file is carefully studied, when the descriptions are considered, and when the nonsense is removed from the case, there is but a single conclusion. This was a Skyhook balloon.
By studying this case, we do see the mindset of the military officials. Because of that mindset, they did more damage to their investigations than they did to anything else. Had they been honest and candid as they began their search they would have been believed. Clearly, in 1948, without the knowledge of the existence of the Skyhook project, they should have declared the case to be unidentified.
But rather than that, they kept manipulating the data to provide multiple answers to the case. Even if the evidence didn't fit the facts as they knew them, they chopped and cut until they did fit and by doing that, created an air of suspicion about their investigation.
The Mantell case is a tragic accident. Mantell tried to fly higher than his aircraft was equipped to fly. Lack of oxygen at high altitudes is a very real problem. It affects judgment and it can kill. Air Force pilots are routinely exposed to the altitude chamber in which they learn the effects of oxygen deprivation. Even the simple task of separating playing cards into black and red becomes impossible. Judgment is clearly impaired and irrational decisions are made.
Mantell was killed in an aircraft accident. He was chasing a Skyhook balloon. This case should now be eliminated from the UFO case files.
July 24, 1948: The Chiles and Whitted Case
In the Project Blue Book files are some cases that are extremely puzzling. If we look only at the master index for every case in the files, we see lots of explanations that, on the surface, seem plausible. Only after studying the reports do we see that the explanation often explains nothing but does fill one square. Such is the report made by Eastern Airlines pilots Clarence S. Chiles and John B. Whitted.