The night was warm and muggy over New Castle Air Force Base in Delaware, the kind of heat that clung to the metal skins of the alert fighter jets lined along the runway. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images“I have no idea what the Air Force is doing,” Ruppelt told the reporter. The Air Force found itself flooded with telegrams, letters and calls from the public demanding information. By afternoon, with the demand for clarity reaching a fever pitch, Air Force Director of Intelligence Maj. Gen. John Samford convened the largest and longest Air Force news conference since World War II. The mystery persistsThe authoritative tone from the Air Force panel seemed to placate the press, even though officials never actually offered a definitive explanation.

Source: CNN December 28, 2025 14:01 UTC