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LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 01 ALGIER 00638 071742Z 12 ACTION NEA-09 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 PM-03 CIAE-00 DODE-00 INR-07 NSAE-00 PA-01 USIA-06 PRS-01 SP-02 OES-03 NASA-01 /034 W --------------------- 071861 R 071653Z MAR 75 FM AMEMBASSY ALGIERS TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2059 INFO AMEMBASSY RABAT AMEMBASSY TUNIS USCINCEUR CINCUSNAVEUR COMSIXTHFLT LIMITED OFFICIAL USE ALGIERS 0638 E.O. 11652:.N/A TAGS: MILI, TSPA, AG SUBJ: UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS OVER ALGERIA REF: ALGIERS 0355; STATE 029080 (NOTAL) 1. SECRETARY GENERAL OF MINISTRY DEFENSE,COL. ABDELHAMID LATRECHE, ASKED ME TO CALL AT MINISTRY MARCH 7. PURPOSE OF CALL WAS TO ASK ME IF WE COULD SHED ANY LIGHT ON STRANGE "MACHINES" WHICH HAD BEEN MANEUVERING OVER ALGERIAN AIRSPACEIN RECENT WEEKS. 2. HE SAID STORY STARTED LAST JANUARY WITH APPEARANCE THREE AMERICAN JOURNALISTS IN BECHAR WHO ANNOUNCED THEY WERE THERE TO COVER ARRIVAL OF BALLOON WHICH TAKING OFF FROM CALIFORNIA. I SAID THIS WAS PRESUMABLY REFERENCE TO JOURNALISTS WHO HAD COME TO COVER MALCOM FORBES' PROPOSED FLIGHT WHICH HAD BEEN ABORTED AT LAST MINUTE. HE SAID THAT MIGH BE, BUT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THERE- AFTER ALGERIANS BEGAN SEEING STRANGE OBJECTS IN SKY. THEY HAD BEEN SEEN NEAR MILITARY INSTALLATIONS BY LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 02 ALGIER 00638 071742Z RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE AND ALGERIANS WERE ASKING US FIRST BECAUSE SIGHTINGS HAD OCCURRED SO SOON AFTER APPEARANCE AMERICAN JOURALISTS. 3. HE SAID OBJECT HAD BEEN SEEN FIVE TIMES, USUALLY ABOUT 1900 OR 1930 ANDON ONE OCCASION IT HAD REMAINED VISIBLE FOR OVER TWO HOURS. HAD BEEN SEEN TWICE NEAR ORAN, ONCE IN CENTER OF COUNTRY, ONCE NEAR BECHAR AND, MOST RECENTLY, OFF THE COAST LAST NIGHT (MARCH 6). OBJECT HAS VERY BRIGHT LIGHT (HE KEPT COMPARING IT TO HEADLIGHT OF A CAR) WHICH OBSCURES ITS SHAPE.OBJECT MANEUVERS AND HAS BEEN SEEN TO LAND AND TAK OFF. SIGHTING LAST NIGHT, AT ABOUT 1930, WAS FIRST BY RADAR AND SECONDLY VISUALLY. OBJECT WAS AT ABOUT 15,000 (SIC) METERS ALTITUDE. ON OTHER OCCASIONS IT HAS BEEN SIGHTED AT ESTIMATED ALTITUDE OF 2,000 METERS. LATRECHE EMPHASIZED THAT IT WAS ALWAYS SEEN BY MORE THAN ONE PERSON AND THAT IT WAS THEREFORE NOT HALLUCINATION. HE DID NOT SEEM PARTICULARLY WORRIED, BUT DID SEEM BE TAKING STORIES SERIOUSLY. 4. I REMARKED THAT ALGERIANS HAD PREVIOUSLY ASKED US ABOUT MYSTERIOUS BALLOON AND OUR QUERIES HAD ELICITED NO INFORMATION. LATRECHE SAID THAT CASE HAD BEEN CLOSED AND THIS WAS ANOTHER. HE SAID ALGERIANS FOLLOWING DEPLOYMENT OF SIXTH FLEET BY RADAR AND AIRCRAFT SURVEILLANCE AND WONDERED WHETHER THESE NEW SIGHTINGS WERE RESULT OF SIXTH FLEET MANEUVERS OF SOME SORT. I SAID IT POSSIBLE THAT SOME PHENOMENON SEEN OFF COAST COULD BE PRODUCED BY FLEET BUT COULD ASSURE HIM CATEGORICALLY THERE WERE NO AIRCRAFT, MACHINES, BALLOONS OR ANYTHING ELSE AMERICAN USING ALGERIAN AIRSPACE WITHOUT EXPLICIT PERMISSION ALGERIAN AUTHORITIES. NEVER- THELESS, I WOULD IMMEDIATELY SEND MESSAGE TO APPROPRIATE CIVILIAN AND MILITARY AUTHORITIES ASKING IF THEY HAD ANY RELEVANT INFORMATION. 5. COMMENT: OUR 2447 REPORTED THAT MYSTERIOUS BALLOON HAD BEEN SIGHTED BY ALGERIANS NEAR ORAN JANUARY 25. THIS EVIDENTLY FIRST SIGHTING OF OBJECT REFERRED TO IN TODAY'S CONVERSATION. WE HAVE NO OTHER DATA ON TIMES LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 03 ALGIER 00638 071742Z BUT ASSUME ALGERIANS CAN PROVIDE IF WE INTERESTED. LATRECHE IS NOT EXCITABLE PERSON AND ALGERIAN MILITARY IN GENERAL PRETTY MATTER-OF-FACT. WE ASSUME THEY HAVE INDEED SEEN SOMETHING, BUT ASSUMEIT NATURAL PHENOMENON OF SOME SORT WHICH HAS ENGENDERED A MILD HYSTERIA AND REPORTS OF REPEATED SIGHTINGS. GIVEN LEVEL AT WHICH QUERY MADE, WE MUST TAKE IT SERIOUSLY, HOWEVER. 6. ACTION REQUESTED: CAN ANY OF ADDRESSEES SHED ANY LIGHT ON MATTER, AND PARTICULARLY ON ALLEGED RADAR SIGHTING MARCH 6? WOULD BE USEFUL HAVE SERIOUS REPLY TO GIVE TO LATRECHE. HE HAS ALREADY REJECTED MY THEORY THAT OBJECT IS SATELLITE OR THAT IN CASE OF SIGHTING OFF COAST IT WAS SEARCHLIGHT BOUNCING OFF CLOUDS.PARKER LIMITED OFFICIAL USE NNN