Type: Official Statement
Source: Brazilian Navy
The Brazilian Navy Ministry issued an official statement on February 24, 1958, addressing the controversy surrounding photographs of a strange object taken over Trindade Island on January 16, 1958. The Ministry denied reports that it was suppressing information, confirming that photographer Almiro Barauna had taken the images at the Navy's invitation and in the presence of the crew of the naval ship Almirante Saldanha.
However, the Ministry explicitly stated that it could not make any pronouncement regarding the nature of the object because the photographs did not constitute sufficient proof. This statement came three days after the photos were published in Rio de Janeiro newspapers, prompting public speculation and a subsequent investigation by parliamentarian Sergio Magalhaes.