By Brian Zeiler A classic set of impressive UFO photos was taken by Mr. and Mrs. Trent in the early part of the evening, just before sunset, on May 11, 1950, near McMinnville, Oregon. According to the Trent's account the object, as it appeared over their farm was first seen by Ms. Trent while she was feeding the farm's rabbits. She then quickly called her husband who got the family's camera and Mr. Trent then took two shots from positions only just a few feet apart.
The pictures first appeared in a local newspaper and afterwards in Life magazine. Seventeen years later the photos were subjected to a detailed analysis for the University of Colorado UFO Project.William K. Hartmann, an astronomer from the University of Arizona, performed a meticulous photometric and photogrammetric investigation of the original negatives, and set up a scaling system to determine the approximate distance of the UFO.
Hartmann used objects in the near foreground, such as a house, tree, metal water tank, and telephone pole, whose images could be compared with that of the UFO. There were also hills, trees, and buildings in the far distance whose contrast and details had been obscured by atmospheric haze. Hartmann used these known distances of various objects in the photo to calculate an approximate atmospheric attenuation factor. He then measured the relative brightnesses of various objects in the photos, and demonstrated that their distances could generally be calculated with an accuracy of about +/- 30%. In the most extreme case, he would be in error by a factor of four. He then wrote: "It is concluded that by careful consideration of the parameters involved in the case of recognizable objects in the photographs, distances can be measured within a factor-four error ... If such good measure could be made for the UFO, we could distinguish between a distant extraordinary object and a hypothetical small, close model."Hartmann then noted that his photometric measurements indicated that the UFO was intrinsically brighter than the metallic tank and the white painted surface of the house, consistent with the Trent's description that it was a shiny object. Further, the shadowed surface of the UFO was much brighter than the shadowed region of the water tank, which was best explained by a distant object being illuminated by scattered light from the environment. "it appears significant that the simplest most direct interpretation of the photographs confirms precisely what the witnesses said they saw" Hartmann further wrote that "to the extent that the photometric analysis is reliable, (and the measurements appear to be consistent), the photographs indicate an object with a bright shiny surface at considerable distance and on the order of tens of meters in diameter. While it would be exaggerating to say that we have positively ruled out a fabrication, it appears significant that the simplest most direct interpretation of the photographs confirms precisely what the witnesses said they saw."
In his conclusion, Hartmann reiterated this, stressing that all the factors he had investigated, both photographic and testimonial, were consistent with the claim that "an extraordinary flying object, silvery, metallic, disc-shaped, tens of metres in diameter, and evidently artificial, flew within sight of [the] two witnesses." Controversy - The Skeptics' Case Not satisfied with Hartmann's findings and totally devoid of any evidence that the UFO was a hoax and hanging from the wires, UFO debunker Robert Sheaffer argued qualitatively that the haze in the photos (the haze veiled the UFO and led Hartmann to conclude the UFO was about 1.3 kilometres distant) could be due to a "dirty" camera lens, and thus the object could still be close to the camera. He further argued that shadows on the garage were strong evidence for a large time lag between the photos, and alleged that the shadow positions suggested the photos were taken at 7:30 in the morning rather than in the evening (the image on the left depicts the edge enhancement technique which, under typical conditions, can reveal the presence of a wire less than a quarter of a millimetre thick at a distance of up to 3 metres).
Dr. Bruce Maccabee, an optical physicist, analyzed the original negatives and found no support for Sheaffer's time lag claim. He also repeated Hartmann's calculations in much greater detail, including corrections for lens grease and obtained about the same results as Hartmann originally did. (One other important aspect of Sheaffer's dirty lens hypothesis is that it fails to explain why it didn't affect all objects in the photos, and not just the UFO. All the nearby objects in the photo were all sharp with high contrast, but the objects in the distance such as a barn, a house, trees, and hills (and the UFO), were of low contrast, exactly as would be expected from absorption and scattering of light.)
Maccabee calculated the UFO to be over 1 kilometre away, and about 30 meters in diameter and 4 meters thick. Regarding the alleged reported time the photos were taken which, according to Sheaffer, would be inconsistent with the position of the shadows on the photos, Maccabee discovered that the garage shadows could only have been caused by a diffuse light source, rebutting Sheaffer's argument. Maccabee suggested that a bright cloud illuminated by the evening sun could possibly have caused them. Moreover, neither Sheaffer nor Klass has provided a plausible cause as to why the Trents would have lied about this, especially since it is immaterial to analysis of the UFO's distance.
Repeaters
In his book "UFOs Explained," Klass argued that the Trents were "repeaters," citing a story published in the Portland Oregonian June 10 in which Mrs. trent is quoted as saying to reporter Lou Gillette that "she had seen similar objects on the coast three different times but no one would believe me." Klass further quotes from a newspaper article written about 17 years later, in which she is quoted as saying "We've seen quite a few since then but we didn't get any pictures, they disappeared too fast."
Klass' indictment of "repeater" is based solely on Mrs. Trent's claims as reported in the paper. Assuming the account is accurate, an important detail however, is that Mr. Trent apparently did notagree with his wife. For reasons we can only guess, Klass did not include in his book Mr. Trent's response to the following question (story in the June 11, 1950 L.A. Examiner): "why [did you wait] so long before telling anyone about [the photos]. Trent admitted he was 'kinda scared of it.' He said: 'You know, you hear so much about those things... I didn't believe all that talk about flying saucers before, but now have an idea the Army knows what they are." This suggests that Mr. Trent had not seen any UFOs before and was skeptical about flying saucers (hence his wife's claim that "no one would believe me")... until he saw one himself. One get's into a logical muddle here. If, as Klass believes, there are no saucers and therefore the Trents couldn't have seen one, then Mrs. Trent must have been lying when she said she saw several previously.By Brian Zeiler
Also: www.nicap.org
http://www.ufocasebook.com/drbotta.html
Many reports of UFO encounters made by single individuals are often given little weight by most investigators. However, when that one person is of high esteem and credibility, the case is given much weight. Such is the case with an Alien encounter that occurred in 1950 in South America. The lone witness was Dr. Enrique Caretenuto Botta, who passed his incredible story on to Horacio Gonzales G. in Caracas at a UFO conference in 1955.
Dr. Botta would soon give permission to Horacio G. to relate the story to famed UFO researcher Leon Stringfield. The researcher would release the details of the Botta encounter in his book, "Situation Red." At the time of the encounter, Dr. Botta was a man of 40 years old. He was well educated and respected by all who knew him. He was an ex-war pilot and aeronautical engineer. He was employed as an architectural engineer working with a well known company in Caracas in 1950. His job had placed him in Argentina working on a large construction project when he would be involved in the most bizarre event of his life.Botta was driving down the highway about seventy-five miles from his hotel in an isolated area known as Bahia Blanca when he saw a metallic, disc-shaped object sitting on the grass just off the road way. He stopped his car to watch the object for a few minutes to see what would happen. After seeing no sign of movement, he decided to get even closer to the unknown object. This vantage point allowed him to see an opening or doorway in the object's side. He decided to go inside. At first the craft's inside seemed empty, except for a blinking red light in a domed top. As he ventured farther inside, he saw a curved divan with four seats; three of these seats were occupied with small beings about four feet tall with gray, tight-fitting overalls. The three small creatures were facing a control panel. It consisted of lights, gauges, and meters of different types.
Standing quietly behind them, Botta could not resist the urge to touch one of the small beings. As he did, he felt a rigid, charred texture. The three strange creatures were dead! All within a moment, he rushed from the saucer, got into his car, and was speeding down the highway. Arriving at his hotel, he related his strange experience to two of his closest friends. The group of men armed themselves with weapons and decided to return to the scene of Botta's encounter. However, it being almost dark, and the area being so isolated, they changed their minds, and opted for the next morning to do their search. Early the next day, Botta led the three directly to the spot of the previous day's unusual encounter, but there was no craft there now. All that was found at the site the object had occupied was a pile of ashes. One of the men scooped some up. Immediately, his hand turned purple, and remained that way for several days. The three men, discouraged by the absence of the object, began to look around the area to see if any other evidence of its landing could be found. One of the men looked up and saw three objects in the sky. One, the largest of the three, was cigar-shaped, while the two smaller objects were disc-shaped. Dr. Botta hurriedly took five pictures of the objects, of which only two showed vague images of the objects. Soon, the two smaller objects joined the cigar-shaped flying object. The three became one, turned blood red, and quickly disappeared from view.
Dr. Botta would later relate more details of his observations on the day of the incident. He would recall that he saw vents or holes in the floor of the object. The control panel had a transparent sphere above it which rotated. The rigidness of the aliens' skin was an indication to him that they had died in a crash or malfunction. He also was amazed at the skin of the saucer, which was metallic in appearance, but had a "rubbery" feel to it.Immediately after the encounter, Dr. Botta came down with a fever, and his skin was blistered. Doctors were unable to discover the origin of either ailment. The symptoms lasted for several weeks. He also had an impression of the sunglasses he wore into the craft on his face. A test showed no sign of radiation. Botta kept the details of his strange encounter private, except for his two companions, Horacio Gonzales G., and Leon Stringfield. Although the details of the strange happenings in Argentina seem most improbable, the character and reputation of Botta make this case extremely difficult to discount.
(B J Booth) source: Leon Stringfield, Situation Red, p. 80
GENERAL ACHA (LP) : AN EVENTFUL LANDING
Roberto Banchs
The histories of eventful UFOS are as old as the first apparitions of flying dishes. Barely it 
was spoken of the first disks in 1947, they began to circulate in the United States rumors that one of them had crashed and they were examining it secretly.
The great number of plates that apparently they flew over the planet, carried to think that trying solid objects as any terrestrial airship would be probable that, exposed to a mechanical or human failure, some had an accident or a damage, or simply to be knocked down.
In 1950 the humorist of a magazine of varieties Frank Scully intended to establish it as a real fact and published the book Behind the flying saucers (After the flying dishes). It become a best seller sensational, affirmed to have crashed three disks in the deserted one of new Mexico and that the Air Force had in its small humanoids corpses power of extraterrestrial origin. Two years later, the book of Scully was denounced as a fable.
The absence of tests, the contradictory data and faltos of base, and the fantastic speculations you woven with them, they carried to consider such versions as an invention of the sensationalistic journalism or well the projection of paranoid ideas. But the legend was not destroyed finally and other similar stories continued him. One of them, that is found among the first reports on estrellamientos of UFOS reported out of the American territory, is the one that here we will occupy us.
¿UFO-CRASH IN ARGENTINA?
The fact would have occurred in proximity of General Acha, province of The Prairie, Argentina. The unusual observation was produced when an Italian architect travelled in car by a desolate region, being coming upon a ship discoidal inn to 50 m of the route and he dared to penetrate in her, discovering then three small humanoid beings apparently without life, seated around the instrumental of the apparatus. The next day, he returned with some friends and in their place found an accumulation of ashes, to the time that made out flying over a ship in the shape of cigar of which you left two plates, managing to take some photographs during the flight.
The original news published in The Universal one, of Caracas, Venezuela, on Saturday May 7, 1955.
The first news was published five years later in the newspaper The Universal one, of Caracas, Venezuela, May 7, 1955. In her not the date is mentioned neither the place ("years ago…en White Bay"), neither neither the identity of the witness ("an Italian architect that resides in Venezuela"), although gives a postal section and it is seen photographed with its thick dark crystals -of intense green color- next to the "special reporter of the east" that, in appearances, is a matter of the ufologist, astronomer amateur and central personage of the television Main investigator of the case, dead in 1971.
Enrico Carotenuto Bossa interviewed by the columnist of the Venezuelan newspaper.
Curiously, the episode did not have up to now any repercussion in Argentina, but was enough diffused and commented in the United States and Europe. Inclusive, the reports of the case have been translated in the fifties to various languages (English, French, Portuguese) and published in books and magazines of the theme. It agrees to cite especially to The APRO Bulletin (Alamogordo, N.M., august 1955), that dedicates several pages to the incident (the witness is presented as the "Dr. B."), and to Him Courrier Interplanétaire (Laussane, Suisse, nº 15, Caps 1956) published by Alfred Nahon (m. 1983), which he offers a more detailed and direct version, but also more beautified, indicating that he is a matter of Enrico Bossa. In December of 1958 Choir E. Lorenzen (m. 1988), of the organization ufológica APRO, in an article published in the magazine of Ray Palmer Flying Saucers, comments to have spoken with the witness and that is in conditions to reveal its true name: Enrique Carotenuto Bossa, or more appropriate, Enrico Carotenuto Bossa *.
Apparently, Carotenuto Bossa was of Italian nationality, former-pilot of war, of profession architect and with a doctorate in engineering aeronatics, that was performed in an acquaintance company of Caracas.
All the narrations offered during those years contain contradictions and weaknesses. Nevertheless, it is possible -as indicates G. Vanquelef- that some of them himself due to omissions or errors of translation of a tongue to another, being the letter written directly by hand of E. Carotenuto Bossa to the Swiss magazine the version that, we suppose, should be had more in account. The same one we reproduce subsequently:
THE STORY OF THE WITNESS
"In the period April-May 1950, found me in the city of White Bay, capital of the province of The Prairie, to build a certain number of houses. It considered custom, of so much in the meantime, to distract me to do long excursions with my vehicle in the province in question. These walks were, in general, trips from 300 to 400 km. of departure and so many more of return and that itself 
They did in three days. The route was a route of not useable summer in the winter (that there begins in May), in a region almost plain, desert, with a lean vegetation. There are some granite stones, and in the fund many mountains of some 1,000 m of height. The land of the route was found to around 300 m above sea level.
Itinerary carried by the witnesses. Plan of epoch.
" May 15, 1950, I performed one of those trips, and had traveled through 280 km. White from Bay ; found me near the 68º to the west of Greenwich and to 37º of south latitude. Quite clean, clear sky. I conducted alone my car, somewhat absent minded and thinking about my matters, when, of unforeseen, a silver object on the floor called my attention. Him did not it give a lot of importance to the thing, that the left of the route to a distance of 300 was seen m.
"To the extent that approached me, noted strange details, as of skylights and a translucent dome. To 50 m of the object, I stopped and I observed with attention the interior of the vehicle, and I thought about the remainders of an airplane fallen. But the strange form of the object caused abandoned me this idea. The clouds that passed intercepting the Sun produced on the object a strange effect. I thought about leaving the car and to approach foot. To 10 m of distance, I realized 
To the end that was a matter of a "dish". By an effect of my subconscious, I felt happy as a boy and, with the audacious spirit that is acquired in those conditions, I did not doubt in approaching me and to enter to the interior of the object, whose door was open.
Details of the ship. To the right, drawing designed by the witness.
"Before entering, I began to examine the object in detail. It had an approximate diameter of 10 m, was formed by two parts: a down in the shape of plate invested (bell), and another, up, cylindrical (tower) and cover by a dome. On the dome, a strange round flashlight. Its total height would be of some 4 meters. A certain number of ventiluces, that I have not counted, rectangular, with the at length round angles. The object was sitd on the floor, with an inclination of approximately 20º, supported in a relief of the land. There was an extravagant color chromium of a polished magnificent in which my image was reflected and that of the sky. Seemed a dead thing: nothing of life, neither of noise, neither of vibrations. I sought the door that was open and exactly to the foot of the tower. Thought to have some difficulty to rise to the edge of the bell, but I realized that in this place this last one was hardly despulida and rough as role of glass (n: of sandpaper). I realized that the object was not new, because the lower edge of the bell was a little deteriorated and stung in some places.
"I put the feet in the rough metal and as since that point to the tower there was a distance of two meters without point of support, I should put me squatting to climb to the door whose approximate dimensions were of 1.20 m for 0.90 m. I put the head in the interior without seeing much on account of a certain darkness that there reigned, and I felt a strong smell of ozone and of garlic. I jumped immediately to the interior whose flat was to a depth of around 60 cm. The spectacle that saw was so strange that surpassed the imagination.
" The flat was a platform that the sensation to be sunk gave me slowly under my weight. The cabin was perfectly to circulate, of a height of 2.10 m, of dark color. Around the wall a series of skylights was found, very thick, adorned of a transparent material, seeming to be of Plexiglas.
"My eyes were being accustomed to the lighting, the scene that saw was horrible. In the center of the cabin, that mediates around 3.50 m of diameter, a strange seat was found occupied by a man of 1.20 m to 1.40 m of height, dress with a combination gray leads; its round head, with thin clear hairs, was inclined on its chest. The hands, well formed, of a color clear tobacco, they were supported nervously on two handles (levers) that left the black box that was found to some centimeters of its body. Its face, of the same color that its hands, the nose well formed and right, the lips without mustache, the cheeks without hairs. The eyes were large, very dilated and delicate. The forms of the body for which could be guessed they were perfectly human and itself no indication of animal species was noted. Seemed an adolescent of 15 years, but with the characteristics of a man. Was not a dwarf. I touched an arm that was stiff and the figure was cold. The combination (over-all) closed him the neck narrowly and the same thing in the wrists. The feet were slightly supported on two pipes set to the flat serving of support. The combination seemed to be done of hard leather and was inflated in the shoulders, giving the pilot the aspect of a player of rugby. The man was not held. The seat was of an adequate form to its body and of a color red vermillion. It was borne by a central axis. The black box that the pilot had in front of him seemed a panel of on board, measuring around 1 m of height for 0.80 m of wide, in which two were seen 'eyes of cat', of those that is seen in certain radios. Under this panel and a little more above the feet a wide horizontal band with a needle was seen vertical and certain strange signs that, without doubt, signified numbers. To the right of the pilot, a little ahead of the panel a disk was found semiopaco like a dull television screen.
Sketch of the interior of the dish, according to the feather of the witness E. Carotenuto Bossa.
"The most impressive spectacle was other two identical men, that lying down on two extensive comfortable seats, of each side of the pilot and against the wall, dead persons seemed likewise. They were not tied and not any strap was seen.
"Its eyes were open and terrified, the ajar mouths and a little inflated. But, ¿why the third seat was empty?. I touched it and I verified that was of a very smooth weaving. The disappearance of the member room of the crew, evidently left leaving the open door began to worry me. My attention was attracted by two spaces, of rectangular section and of 4 cm of height, placed on the flat and going of the center to the periphery, where they finished to each side of the door. I noted likewise, over the box of instruments of on board, a transparent sphere of 25 cm of diameter surrounded by a flat ring inclined to 40º on the horizontal one and seemed exactly to the planet Saturn just as is seen it with telescope. Was a calculating automatic one of latitude or of colatitud?
"Raising the eyes, I noted that the cabin did not continue for the ceiling but had in the meeting with the ceiling a very marked relief to circulate, with rectangular holes of 60 cm of wide and 20 cm of high. This molding perforated was repeated in the same way around the flat. A plafonnier (n: globe of light, applied to the ceiling) luminous and blinking slowly emitted a light white-anaranjada. I thought about that moment that the energy of the machine was still in action and thousand ideas passed myself for the head… a crazy panic seized me and was necessary a start of cold blood to meet again my calm. I gave a last look to the cabin and I left sliding me on the rough edge of the bell. Barely on the ground, I suffered a vertigo and breathing again our air, I realized then how the air of the cabin was weighed and arduous to breathe.
"Furious by not it to have carried with me my camera, I thought about going quickly to General Acha, locality situated to near 200 km. of the place, to seek some friends engineers that there were found. I hurried toward my car and I verified that, contraryly to the habitual thing, the motor started with a lot of difficulty, functioning barely and giving the impression that the batteries were dischargeed in spite of the fact that was sure that that was not the case. Once in motion, all began little by little to return to the normality to the extent that moved away me of the apparatus.
Drawing of a PV with occupants. The falls and landings of flying dishes were common in that epoch.
"It arrived at General Acha, I put me in contact with my friends, to which I counted them the adventure. After it to have been convinced with a lot of difficulty, they accepted to accompany me and we decide to leave the following day to the early tomorrow, because was already too late to arrive from day. We leave then to the dawn carrying a machine Kodak Retina 2 with rangefinder, but, on account of a violent storm we arrive at the place at 12.45 o'clock. The sky was covered to averages with accumulations-halos on the mountains. We seek the apparatus and we could not find it.
"The ironic expressions began to be shown in the face of my friends, when called our attention a pile of ashes of approximately 2 m of height and 5 m of diameter that was found exactly in the place where had seen the plate. The ashes had a silver red color and humeaban slightly. I put the hand and I noted that the temperature was of some 40º C.
One of the two photographs taken by the witnesses. Here it it reproduced by the newspaper of Caracas.
"At this time one of us raised the eyes to the sky and observed a plat or identical to which I had seen, that flew over us to a height reckoned in 600 m. I Removed immediately a photo, at the moment precise in which took height. On the ship another object in identical flight to the first one was seen. And still further up, a motionless cigar to a certain distance of us was seen. The two dishes were directed toward the cigar in oblique ascent, inclined forward in the sense of their displacement. In the course of their acceleration the dishes passed from the color silver to the color rose. In some seconds the two dishes met with the cigar, in which they disappeared and immediately the cigar started to an explosive velocity that we reckon in 12,000 km. /h.
"Caracas, 1º of November of 1955.
Enrico Bossa".
Detail of the image. Model '50.
The article appeared in Him Courrier Interplanétaire, in April of 1956, finalizes with a note to the foot indicating that the author of this report, the Italian architect of 44 years that signs as Enrico Bossa, asked on that occasion not to give its main name ( Carotenuto) because its life has been very hard in Argentina and Venezuela, and has lost one of its jobs "by to have believed in the flying dishes" ( sic).
According to the other versions, during a personal interview that maintained the "Dr. B." with González Ganteaume, during some weeks the witness presented a feverish state or of highly temperature and its skin was cover with blisters. Still when it says to have consulted various specialists, none was capable to formulate a diagnosis, neither to alleviate it, and those symptoms were themselves after a time. Also, having used eyeglasses upon entering to the disk, appeared him around the eyes, in the contour of the lenses, a red mark. A doctor it would have tested with a bookkeeper to determine if was exposed to radiation, but did not find any trace. Nevertheless -continues- they were visible in their skin you stain greenish, which they disappeared with the application of a medicine.
Will continue…
THE GREAT FALLS, MONTANA UFO FILM, 1950
Nick Mariana, Great Falls, Montana, obtained 16 mm color movies of two UFOs which appear as bright circular points of light. Footage of UFOs at closer range, confirming visual observation of discs with rotating rims, was reported missing from film when returned by Air Force.Remaining footage was contained in United Artists documentary movie "UFO" and compared to July 2, 1952, Trementon, Utah film showing similar images. Mr. Mariana used Daylight Kodachrome film in a Revere turret type camera and obtained 315 frames showing the UFOs. The film was examined by the Air Force and Navy, but no formal reports released. Report on Photogrammetric analysis by Dr. Robert M.L. Baker, Jr., Douglas Aircraft Corporation, on file at NICAP. Air Force explanation that UFOs were reflections off jet aircraft said to be "quite strained," and the analyst states no definite conclusion. However, UFOs could not be explained as any conventional objects.
Francis Ridge
The Washington Herald-3-10-1950, March 9 (AP)An expert on chemicals and explosives told reporters yesterday he had seen the wreckage of an ultra streamlined flying saucer on a Mexico City mountainside, and that top U.S. officials have viewed it.
But there was no confirmation of the account, related by Ray L. Dimmick sales manger of of the Apache Powder Co., and the Air Force in Washington said it had heard nothing about it.
Says Saw "Strip of Metal"
Dimmick later told newsmen he had seen only a strip of metal which he was told came from the space ship.
The remainder of his information Dimmick said, came from two businessmen in Mexico City, one an American, the other a Chilean. Dimmick declined to name them, said he would divulge that information �if requested by the proper authorities.�
Part of the information he said, was that a man 23 inches tall, the pilot of the plane, died in the crash and that his body had been embalmed for scientific study.
It was an exquisite piece of machinery, Dimmick told the first interviewers. He then described it in detail, saying it was 48 feet in diameter, built of a metal resembling aluminum, but much harder, and was powered by two motors.
He was then taken to the scene of the crash by associates and that the wreckage was roped off. The crash occurred three months ago he said.
Dimmick said later that the piece of metal he saw was actually eight feet long, 8 inches wide, and three-quarters of an inch thick.
Others Sighted
Reminded that the Air Force announced last December it was dropping its investigation of Flying Saucers because of preponderance of evidence that they do not exist, Dimmick said:
"I'm big enough to take the consequences of what I said and stand my ground."
He said he has reports of that similar objects landed in various parts of North America in the last year, "but governments have clamped veils of secrecy about their investigations."
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