Nationwide Report on APRO Files and Iowa Landing

For those unfamiliar with the field, the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) was a prominent UFO organization created by Coral Lorenzen in the early 1950s. Along with the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), APRO was one of the two major players at the time, while numerous smaller, local organizations also existed.

Unlike NICAP’s focus on congressional investigations and pressing the Air Force for transparency, APRO delved into what were then considered fringe areas of UFO study. They collected reports on landings, occupant sightings, and were the first American organization to research alien abduction cases, despite initially being aware of the Vilas-Boas abduction in 1957.

While organizations like NICAP, the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), and even Project Blue Book have had their files collected by various civilian research groups, the APRO files remained elusive. Upon the deaths of Jim and Coral Lorenzen in the mid-1980s, the files ended up in the hands of their children, resisting attempts by various organizations and individuals to obtain them over the years.

This context is important in understanding the significance of David Marler’s recent acquisition of the APRO records for his National UFO Historical Records Center. With this addition, Marler’s Center now houses the largest collection of UFO records, including records and investigative activities from several foreign researchers and organizations.

Marler and his team have been digitizing these records, making them searchable and easily accessible, a feat that breaks the barrier erected by some UFO researchers who guarded their records with tenacity rivaling governmental agencies.

One of the notable cases documented in the APRO files is a landing incident that occurred in rural Iowa on June 6, 1972. The witness, identified as Mr. T., but later revealed to be Edward Tieg, reported catching sight of a flash of light that he initially thought was an airplane. However, as the object approached closer, he realized it was an egg-shaped craft with protruding legs extending from its bottom, allowing it to land.

According to Tieg’s account, the object was approximately ten to twelve feet in diameter and fifteen to twenty feet tall, casting a shadow as it settled on the ground about a hundred yards away. A hatch opened, and Tieg claimed to have witnessed some entities emerge, standing around five feet tall and donning one-piece flying suits. These beings allegedly ventured into the nearby cornfield, explored the area briefly, and then returned to their craft, which subsequently took off.

Tieg described witnessing a blue flame shooting out from the bottom of the craft as it lifted off, accompanied by a roaring sound. Interestingly, this detail aligns with the description provided by Lonnie Zamora, the police officer who reported a similar incident in Socorro, New Mexico, in 1964, raising questions about whether Tieg was aware of Zamora’s account.

Despite his initial reluctance to discuss the sighting, Tieg provided an illustration depicting the craft and beings he claimed to have witnessed. Investigators who examined the landing site found evidence of a disturbance in the cornfield, with stalks appearing as if caught in a whirlwind, though no signs of burning were present. Notably, Tieg’s report was the only witness account of this particular incident, although other sightings had been reported in the area around the same time.