I saw Admiral Bolster. His denial seemed genuine; unless he'd got to
be a dead-pan poker player since our earlier days, I was sure he was
telling the truth.

The only other alternate was Russia. It was incredible that they would
develop such a device and then expose it to the gaze of U.S. Air Force
officers. It could be photographed, its speed and maneuverability
checked; it might crash, or antiaircraft fire might bring it down, The
secret might be lost in one such test flight.

There was one other explanation: The thing was not intended to be
seen; it had got out of control. In this event; the long hovering
period at Godman Field was caused by the need for repairs inside the
flying saucer, or repairs to remote-control apparatus.

If it were Air Force or Navy, that would explain official concern;
even if completely free of negligence, the service responsible would
be blamed for Mantell's death. If it were Russian, the Air Force would
of course try to conceal the fact for fear of public hysteria.

But if the device was American, it meant that Project

{p. 45}

"Saucer" was a cover-up unit. While pretending to investigate, it
would actually hush up reports, make false explanations, and safeguard
the secret in every possible way. Also, the reported order for Air
Force pilots to pursue the disks would have to be a fake. Instead,
there would be a secret order telling them to avoid strange objects in
the sky.