The next episode in our series covers Brazil’s
UFO investigations.
The government of Brazil has openly acknowledged
the UFO phenomenon since the 1950’s and
has released a number of UFO files from their
investigations.
From 1969 up until 1972 Brazil had an official
UFO research organization called The System
for the Investigation of Unidentified Aerial
Phenomenon.
The investigations were public and the organization
would often work with civilian UFO researchers.
However, when the United States closed Project
Blue Book the Brazilian government soon followed.
On August 9, 2010 the Commander of the Brazilian
Air Force, Brigadier Junichi Saito, established
Regulation 551/GC3 for UFO disclosure in Brazil.
It reads “As of this date, all reports of
UFO sightings sent to the Brazilian Air Force
bases and filed at the Brazilian Airspace
Defense Command, in Brasilia, should be sent
to the National Archives, where they can be
known to any person.”
A leading source for UFO research in Brazil
is ‘Revista UFO.’
AJ Gevaerd, a former professor of chemistry,
founded the publication in March of 1988.
In 2002 the magazine began a partnership with
the Brazilian Center for Flying Saucer Research
to produce content.
Presently Gevaerd serves as the editor and
has a vast editorial board consisting of about
500 members in Brazil and over 50 other countries.
The website features blogs written by various
researchers, videos, documentaries and photo
galleries with photos from cases that currently
under investigation.
Brazil’s military has released some their
UFO files in response to the ‘UFO – Freedom
of Information Now’ campaign started in
April 2004 by the Brazilian UFO magazine.
The files that are available can be downloaded
from the website ufo.com.br. [video clip]
The disclosure process started in May of 2005
when a group of Ufologist met with the Brazilian
Air Force to discuss sightings and fully examine
classified documents.
During that meeting the researchers were informed
on procedures for UFO detection, they were
also able to visit air traffic control rooms,
and review 3 historical cases.
Brazilian Ufologist AJ Gevaerd was part of
the group and at the 2011 International UFO
Congress he spoke about 
his involvement.
[video clip]
The first case the group was able to review
was from 1954; it was the testimony from pilot
Nagib Ayub, the head of Varig airlines.
Along with crewmembers, he observed a luminous
object lingering near the airliner for about
two hours in the airspace above Rio Grande
do Sul.
The second was a well-known case was from
1977, involving dozens of sightings on the
island of Colares in the Amazon forest.
The group was able to view over a 100 photos
from the military investigation codenamed
‘Operation Saucer.’
The local residents reported being attacked
by luminous balls of light; they described
them as ‘light vampires.’
After an encounter the individuals became
very ill.
Victims told the doctor that they felt that
orb seemed to suck their blood therefore the
locals gave the phenomenon the nickname ‘chupa-chupa.’
Operation Saucer lasted four months, from
September to December.
The full report allegedly contains over 500
photos and 3,000 witness interviews.
In July 1997 Revista UFO published extensive
articles on the case with interviews from
the Air Force Commander in charge of the operation,
Captain Uyrange Hollanda who passed away in
October of 1997.
According to Hollanda, "we detected at least
nine forms of objects.
Probes, spaceships, flying saucer shape.”
In 2005 the History Channel featured the story
on UFO Files: Brazil’s Roswell.
AJ Gevaerd also spoke about this case at the
2011 International UFO Congress.
[video clip]
The third case was from May 1986; it has been
called “The Official Night of UFOs in Brazil.”
As many as 20 objects, each measuring over
100 meters in diameter, jammed the Brazilian
air traffic control systems over 3 of Brazil’s
largest cities: Rio De Janeiro, Sao Jose dos
Campos and Sao Paulo.
Several jets were sent to intercept with out
any success.
Brazil’s Minister of Aeronautics, Brigadier
General Otávio Moreira Lima, spoke about
the incident and said, “The radar detects
only solid metallic bodies and heavy clouds.
There were no clouds or conventional aircraft
in the region.
The sky was clear.
Radar doesn't have optical illusions.”
The Brazilian Aeronautics Commission report
was not released.
However, the accounts of air force pilots
and radar controllers were published widely
in the press and later studied by Brazilian
researchers.
AJ Gevaerd found these documents 
to be a great confirmation.
[video clip]
The Brazilian Committee of UFO researchers
continues to work with the military has established
a standing committee of UFO researchers.
In April 2013 the researchers were able to
meet with the leaders at the Brazilian Ministry
of Defense.
Researchers are still searching for information
relating to controversial incidents.
The Varginha Case is one of the most well-known
cases in Brazilian Ufology.
Canadian Ufologist Stanton Freidman said,
“Varginha has the makings of a cosmic Watergate.”
According to media reports, on January 20,
1996 three women saw an unknown creature while
walking to their home.
They described it as being about 5 feet tall
with a thin monkey-like body and V-shaped
feet.
It had a large head with 3 lumps on it, brown
skin and big red bug-like eyes with a strong
unpleasant odor.
The Brazilian media was saturated with speculation.
There were soon rumors of other creatures,
UFO sightings and alleged military involvement.
The Brazilian government denies capturing
the creature during the incident, but some
researchers have their doubts.
Commemorative statues of the creature can
be found all around the city of Varginha.
Another famous Brazilian UFO sighting took
place on Trindade Island.
On January 16,1958 Admiral Saldanha was conducting
geophysical research on a Navy training ship
with professional photographer Almiro Baraúna
on board.
Around noon a UFO came toward the island at
high speed, hovered for a moment, went behind
a peak and then went back toward the sea.
Baraúna managed to get four photos of the
object.
The navy’s initial investigation on the
case was kept secret, but when the files reached
Brazil’s President they were released and
the photos made worldwide headlines.
The official witness reports have not been
made public but the Brazilian Ministry of
Defense said the documents were going through
the proper procedures for release and are
to be released in accordance to Brazil’s
Access to Information Act.
[video clip]
