Group /Category 2 Close Encounters

Francis Ridge:
One of the most interesting cases of the wave of 1957 occurred back in Indiana, less than 30 miles from my home town of Vincennes, Indiana.  On the evening of November 6, 1957, Rene Gilham, a young ironworker, had a Close Encounter of the Second Kind (CE2).  He was employed in Terre Haute, Indiana, and lived with his wife and children on the outskirts of the community of Merom, Indiana, about 25 miles south of Terre Haute. A 30-40 foot diameter, circular object hovered 200-300 feet overhead and was observed by his family and neighbors across the street. Mr. Gilham stood under the object for about ten minutes in the recurrent blue light beams being projected down. The effects of the encounter put him in the hospital. For the full story, see Frank Edwards excellent report below.

Dr. James E. McDonald:
By "radiation" here, I do not mean exposure to radioactivity or to other nuclear radiations, but skin irritations comparable to sunburn, etc. I have interviewed a number of persons who have experienced skin reddening from exposure to (visible) radiations near UFOs. Rene Gilham, of Merom, Indiana, watched a UFO hovering over his home area on the evening of Nov. 6, 1957, and received mild skin burns, for example. I found in speaking with him that the symptoms were gone in a matter of days, with no after effects. The witnesses in a car stopping incident at Loch Raven Dam, Md., on the night of Oct. 26, 1958, who were close to a brightly luminous, blimp sized object after getting out of their stopped car, experienced skin reddening for which they obtained medical attention. Without citing other such instances, I would say that these cases are not suggestive of any serious hazard, but they warrant scientific attention.