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The Jimmy Carter UFO Incident is the name given to an incident in which former US President Jimmy Carter reported that seeing a unidentified flying object. The sighting occurred in 1969 in Leary, Georgia, two years before he became Governor of Georgia.

In September 1973, while the Governor of Georgia, the International UFO Bureau in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma asked him to file a report on his sighting. Carter responded to the request and filed a report.

The June 8, 1976 issue of The National Enquirer reported that the sighting had taken place in Thomaston, Georgia in 1973, (Sheaffer 1998:18–19) harvcol error: no target: CITEREFSheaffer1998 (help) and in February 1977, NICAP republished Carter's original report in UFO Investigator, but altered the hand written account to make it appear that it had been typed up on NICAP stationary.

Sighting

One evening in 1969 Carter, then a contender for the governorship of Georgia, was preparing for a Lions Club meeting at which he was scheduled to give a speech. At about 7:15 p.m (EST), one of the guests called his attention to a strange object about 30 degrees above the horizon to the west of where he was standing. Carter described the object as being bright white, self luminous, and as being about as bright as the moon. It was said to have appeared to close in on where he was standing but to have stopped beyond a stand of pine trees some distance from him. The object then changed color, first to blue, then to red, then back to white, before appearing to recede into the distance. Carter felt that the object was self-luminous, but not a solid object. Carter's report indicates that it was witnessed by about ten or twelve other people, and was in view for ten to twelve minutes before it passed out of sight.

Speaking in a 2005 interview, Carter states:

"I was preparing to give a speech to a Lions Club ..... all of a sudden, one of the men looked up and said, 'Look, over in the west!' And there was a bright light in the sky. We all saw it. And then the light, it got closer and closer to us. And then it stopped, I don’t know how far away, but it stopped beyond the pine trees. And all of a sudden it changed color to blue, and then it changed to red, then back to white. And we were trying to figure out what in the world it could be, and then it receded into the distance."

Personal impact

The sighting is said to have had a personal impact on Carter and his perception of UFO and UFO sightings. During his 1976 election campaign, he is said to have told reporters that, as a result of it, he would institute a policy of openness if he were elected to office, saying:

"One thing's for sure, I'll never make fun of people who say they've seen unidentified objects in the sky. If I become President, I'll make every piece of information this country has about UFO sightings available to the public and the scientists."

Despite his earlier pledge, once elected, Carter distanced himself from disclosure, citing "defense implications" as being behind his decision.

Date

Since news of the sighting became public, the exact date on which it occurred been called into question. According to the paperwork report that Carter filed with the International UFO Bureau the sighting was made on an unknown day in October 1969. However, according to records that he filed with the Lions Club, which reference meetings but make no direct mention of the sighting itself, the date was most likely January 6, 1969, since that is the date that Carter spoke at a Lion's Club meeting in Leary, Georgia. (Sheaffer 1998:18–28) harvcol error: no target: CITEREFSheaffer1998 (help).

Object and investigation

According to an investigation held in 1976, some seven years after the event, most of those present at the meeting either did not recall the event, or did not recall it as being anything important. According to Fred Hart, the only guest to clearly remember seeing the object, "It seems like there was a little—like a blue light or something or other in the sky that night ... like some kind of weather balloon they send out or something ... it had been pretty far back in my mind." (Sheaffer 1998:21–22) harvcol error: no target: CITEREFSheaffer1998 (help)

While puzzled by the object and its origins Carter, himself, later said that while had considered the object to be a UFO - on the grounds it was not explained - his knowledge of physics had meant he had not believed himself to be witnessing an alien spacecraft.

Based on the location and time, many investigators have since concluded that the object was Venus being witnessed across the horizon (Sheaffer 1998:25–27) harvcol error: no target: CITEREFSheaffer1998 (help), (Peebles 1994:205) harvcol error: no target: CITEREFPeebles1994 (help).

International UFO Bureau report

• The report Carter submitted (page 1) The report Carter submitted (page 1)
• The report Carter submitted (page 2) The report Carter submitted (page 2)

References

1. ^ Carter, Jimmy (1969) Report to the International UFO Bureau in Oklahoma City (PDF)
2. Sheaffer, Robert(1981) "The Ufo Verdict: Examining the Evidence", Prometheus Books, ISBN: 0879751460
3. ^ Hylton, Wil S. (2005) "The Gospel According to Jimmy", GQ
4. Good, Timothy (1989) "Above Top Secret: The Worldwide U.F.O. Cover-Up" Quill, ISBN: 0688092020
5. This day in history - "1973: Carter files report on UFO sighting", The History Channel

• Martin, Robert Scott (October 15, 1999). "Celebrities Have Close Encounters, Too". Space.com. Retrieved 2004-04-16.
• Horvath, Alex (February 7, 2003). "Bolinas man's film says we are not alone". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
• Stenger, Richard (October 22, 2002). "Clinton aide slams Pentagon's UFO secrecy". CNN. Retrieved 2007-04-16.

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External Links

• Carter UFO Incident - Presidential UFO
• Files on President Jimmy Carter's interest in UFO's

• UFO sightings
• Jimmy Carter