Type: Government Record
Source: Brazilian Chamber of Deputies
In August 1960, Congressman Gordon H. Scherer requested information from the CIA and State Department regarding UFO photographs taken off Trindade Island in January 1958. The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy evaluated the images as a hoax or trick photography by freelance photographer Almiro Barauna, who had a known history of such stunts.
While the U.S. government concluded the photos were false and noted that a flying saucer sighting would be unlikely at the barren island, a leaked 1964 Brazilian Navy secret report by Corvette-Capt. Jose Geraldo Brandao suggested otherwise. This report admitted that photographic evidence and personal reports from the crew of the Almirante Saldanha indicated the existence of unidentified aerial objects, citing the absence of tampering and the emotional upset of witnesses.