May 9, 1949๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธMilitary Encounter
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White Sands, New Mexico: Navy officers see white object during WAC Corporal launch

On May 9, 1949, Navy Commander Robert B. McLaughlin and several other officers saw a white object overhead during the launch of a WAC Corporal B rocket at White Sands Proving Ground.

Date
May 9, 1949
Location / Country
White Sands Proving Ground, New Mexico๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธUnited States
Type
Military Encounter

Background

Naval Unit Commander Robert B. McLaughlin and several other officers witnessed a white object overhead while a WAC Corporal B rocket was being launched at White Sands Proving Ground, New Mexico. The object disappeared in a blinding burst of speed to the west. McLaughlin described the observation in a letter to J. A. Van Allen dated May 12, 1949. The account follows the entry in George M. Eberhart's chronology UFOs and Intelligence (CUFOS) and the sources cited there; it is not an independent determination by From Beyond Space.