Richard Russell
| Richard Russell | |
| Born | November 2, 1897, Winder, Georgia |
|---|---|
| Died | January 21, 1971 |
| Nationality | American |
| Category | Politician |
| Roles | U.S. Senator from Georgia (1933–1971); chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee; Governor of Georgia (1931–1933) |
| Notable claim | Saw two disc-like craft rise near Baku, USSR, in October 1955 |
| Status | Historical |
| Historical | |
Richard Brevard Russell Jr. (1897–1971) was a Democratic U.S. senator from Georgia for nearly four decades and one of the most powerful members of the Senate, chairing the Armed Services Committee and later serving as president pro tempore. He was also a member of the Warren Commission.[1]
On October 4, 1955, while traveling by train through the Soviet Transcaucasus with Lt. Col. E. U. Hathaway and Ruben Efron, Russell reported seeing a round craft rise slowly near an airfield close to Baku, followed by a second that sped away. He was debriefed by U.S. officials in Prague days later.[2]
Assessment
Air Force and CIA records on the sighting, released in redacted form in the 1980s and more fully in PURSUE, show that a CIA analyst concluded the reports did not indicate unconventional aircraft. The likeliest explanation is Soviet jet aircraft taking off at night. Russell himself did not publicly discuss the sighting.
See also
- Senator Russell sighting records (PURSUE)
- Senator Russell UFO sighting (1955)
- Senate Armed Services Committee
Further reading
- Timothy Good (1988). Above Top Secret: The Worldwide UFO Cover-Up (Amazon)
References
- ^ U.S. Senate Historical Office, “Richard B. Russell Jr.”
- ^ U.S. Department of War (2026). PURSUE Releases 01, 03 and 04: 341_110677, CIA-UAP-006, D020, D021.