Project Horse Fly and Operation Blue fly

Yes, I was working on something else and as I was looking through Project Blue Book administration files when I found something interesting. Not all that long ago, I mentioned a project called Horse Fly. You can read about it here:

http://kevinrandle.blogspot.com/2017/10/project-horse-fly-documents.html

and here:

http://kevinrandle.blogspot.com/2017/08/arthur-exon-and-investigative-teams.html

Now, I have found, buried in a letter about the abysmal state of the Air Force

This is an actual Horse Fly. I selected it because
of its alien appearance and it sort of creeped
me out.

investigation, written by an Air Force officer who was horrified, another nugget of information about all this. The letter was about the creation of trained teams to head out to the scene of important UFO sightings. It is interesting that it was suggested that the teams be made up of officers and NCOs who don’t have regular opportunities to travel on temporary duty (TDY), that it was projected to cost about five grand, and that the funds be paid “…directly to the Aerial Phenomena Group…”

This wasn’t the interesting part of the document. That came in paragraph “d” on the fifth page out of six. It said:

To keep costs down, and at the same time to allow prompt movement to Air Force bases nearest the scene of critical sightings it is proposed that a project named “Horse Fly” (akin to “Blue Fly”) be established. Essentially this project will provide for priority movement of ATIC UFO investigators to nearest Air Force facilities using CRT aircraft and pilots. Crew and aircraft will stand by for investigations taking less than a day. Return flights will pick up investigators where more than one day is required.

Okay, the important thing here is not about Horse Fly but the reference to Blue Fly. Remember, the Air Force originally said that no such operation (Moon Dust and Blue Fly) had existed. Sure, we know the Air Force modified that response when documents were provided proving that Moon Dust and Blue Fly did exist. This latest bit of information reinforces the idea that Blue Fly existed, but also suggests that some of those officers at ATIC knew about it and that it had been deployed, contrary to Air Force statements.

The thing that this little bit of trivia suggests to me, is that contrary to the opinion that the Air Force didn’t really care about the UFO investigation, a theory underscored by Air Force statements and documentation, the opposite might be true. The Air Force didn’t want the civilians to know their real attitude because it would reinforce the idea that some UFOs might be of alien manufacture. The public face was, “We don’t believe in no Flying Saucers,” while the public face was, “We need to protect National Security and we need to take some of these reports seriously.”

Yes, this is quite a conclusion to draw from a single reference to Blue Fly without anything to describe Blue Fly. There was another document that does demonstrate the Air Force attitude, at least, in private. The document was originally classified as “Secret,” but it has long since been declassified. It said:

Some of the UFO organizations, such as NICAP, well know the deficiencies in the Air Force Program and take advantage of every opportunity to place us in a defensive position. In fact, it is understood that Captain Ruppelt, who was responsible for the ATIC part of the UFO investigation [please notice the term, “ATIC part,” which is suggestive of other, unidentified parts] from early 1951 until September 1953, is now affiliated with NICAP. In this organization alone ex-marine corps Major Kehoe [sic], a political adventurist, and Captain Ruppelt, an ex-ATIC specialist, represent a formidable team from which plenty of trouble can be expected in the future. Both appear to be in the business for the money involved. Comparable conditions involving eminent authorities of questionable intentions exist in other of the 49 [civilian] organizations.

The point is that NICAP worried them, and they realized that the competence of the Air Force investigation was being challenged by the civilians out there. The Air Force wanted a team, or rather as many as 20 two-man teams, to be available to travel to UFO hot spots. We end up with Moon Dust, Blue Fly and Horse Fly as part of that renewed effort to get at the truth… a truth that would be classified by regulation unless there was a mundane explanation for the sighting.

I just thought these facts were interesting. I thought the mention of Blue Fly in the same sentence as Horse Fly suggested something about the Air Force investigation. Maybe they were taking UFOs more seriously than we thought and that implies that they might have had some inside, classified information that worried them. Sure, this is speculation, but then it is speculation based on Air Force documentation.

Project Horse Fly - The Documents

My posting about General Exon and the project known as “Horse Fly” inspired one of those who visit here to file a FOIA request. Here is what he wrote:

Bombastic Bill has left a new comment on your post "Arthur Exon and the Investigative Teams":

So I recently filed a FOIA for Horse Fly for Wright Pat in the years listed above and I have received a reply from the Air Force: "A thorough search for these records by Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR) has not produced any responsive records relating to your request" So I don't know if Horse Fly is a bogus name or there was something I missed in filing the FOIA but as for the 1st time filling out a FOIA it was just nice to get a response! 

The question, I suppose, is how far back do their records go and do they retain any files that were part of Project Blue Book. We know, based on what Carmon Marano told us, that while the “official” files were sent to the Air Force Archives and later onto the National Archives, the “unofficial” files were going to be destroyed. He saved them and eventually they ended up in the hands of Rob Mercer.

Okay.

But it was in the Project Blue Book files that I found the reference to Horse Fly and the creation of teams to investigate UFO sightings. The documents were part of the administration files that were included with the Blue Book material. I found them on my microfilm and using my IPad, took several photographs off the microfilm reader. Not the best way to do it, but the way I could preserve the information for easy reference. More importantly, that provides the documentation seen here. These are the photographs.

They prove, only that the documentation exists, that FTD was involved and that there was a suggestion of creating the teams. When I get the chance, I’ll try to put up more of these documents.