UFO POTPOURRI

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO POTPOURRI
Issue: No. 430
Date: January 2000
Publisher: John F. Schuessler
Cover Headline: Radar-Visual UFO Incident in Tunisia

Radar-Visual UFO Incident in Tunisia

This issue of UFO Potpourri, dated January 2000, features a declassified document detailing a series of Radar-Visual UFO sightings that occurred in Tunisia during August 1976. The document, originating from an unknown agency and classified until August 1976, was presented at the MUFON UFO Symposium by Peter A. Gersten.

Background and Initial Concerns

On August 9, 1976, the Chief of Military Security, General Balma, summoned Datt and Alusna to his office. General Balma provided Datt with a memo he had prepared for the Minister of Defense, listing UFO sightings that had been occurring over Tunisia since August 3, 1976. The memo, translated from French, detailed several incidents.

Detailed Sightings

• Night of August 3-4, 1976:
• At 2325 hrs, the pilot of Tunis Air Flight TU8953, en route from Monastir to Tunis, reported a flying object at 1000 to 1200 meters, moving from north to south.
• At 2327 hrs, five flying objects showing red and green position lights were visually sighted over Monastir and confirmed by radar. Five separate radar returns were tracked and visually confirmed between 0024 hrs and 0400 hrs.

• Night of August 4-5, 1976:
• An Air France pilot, en route to Monastir, reported being followed by an aircraft as he approached his descent point to Monastir between 2243 hrs and 2252 hrs (local time).

• Night of August 5-6, 1976:
• Police at Soukra reported seeing what appeared to be four lighted helicopters at 0020 hrs. By 0040 hrs, two remained, and at 0115 hrs, one remained, flying very slowly. All objects were gone by 0145 hrs (local time). These observations were not confirmed by radar.

• Night of August 7-8, 1976:
• At 2348 hrs, the control tower at Jerba sighted unknown traffic 7 km northwest of the airport. This sighting was confirmed by a Tunis Air pilot (Flight 8321) en route to Jerba from Paris, and also by the pilot of Tunis Air Flight 717.

• Night of August 8-9, 1976:
• Approaching Jerba Airport, a flying object was reported showing one light. It seemed to touch down near the airport, then turned south, climbing as it went, and disappeared at 2412 hrs (local time).
• At 1950 hrs local time, radar tracked unknown traffic that flew over Sidi Ahmed Airport at Bilerte, going fast to the west. It then turned 37 km west of the base and disappeared going south.

Government Reaction and Request for Information

The Tunisian government was reportedly very puzzled by these sightings and wanted to know if the US Navy's SIXTHFLT could shed any light on the nature of these phenomena. General Balma showed radar plots of UFO tracks from the night of August 4, 1976, which were plotted on a chart. These tracks generally came from the northeast over the Gulf of Tunis, proceeded to the south of the city, and then turned east and west before disappearing from radar screens. Balma agreed to contact Alusna at home if further sightings were observed. No sightings were reported on the nights of August 9-10, 1976.

The document concludes with a request for advice on whether any unusual activity has been noted in the vicinity of the Tunisian coast. Balma reported that visual sightings (red and green position lights) and radar sightings have been made, and on some occasions, they corresponded. The objects have traveled at high speeds (up to 350 knots), moved slowly, and seemingly hovered, but made no audible sound. The phenomena were described as completely unexplainable from their end. Any assistance or ideas would be appreciated.

The document is dated December 31, 1982, with annotations 'BT', '#5567', 'ANNOT ES', and 'TJ'.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme is the detailed reporting and official concern surrounding unexplained aerial phenomena. The editorial stance, as presented through the reproduced document, highlights the government's puzzlement and the unexplainable nature of the observed events, emphasizing the need for further investigation and information.