Howard C. Cross

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Howard C. Cross
Illustration of official papers and files
Illustration: official papers and files. An artist's impression drawn for this site, not a photograph of the event.
TypePerson
Also known asHoward Cross
On the Timeline2 events, 1953–2001

Howard C. Cross was a scientist at Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, who worked on Project Stork, Battelle's classified analysis of U.S. Air Force UFO reports.

The Pentacle memo

Illustration of an open book about flying saucers
Illustration: an open book about flying saucers. An artist's impression drawn for this site, not a photograph of the event.

On 9 January 1953, shortly before the CIA's Robertson Panel met, Cross wrote a memo signed "Pentacle" suggesting that the panel should wait for Battelle's statistical analysis, and proposing that the Air Force set up controlled experiments in which military aircraft would fly in an area so their reports could be checked. Researchers who uncovered the memo in the 1990s argued it showed the panel was rushed. A later Blue Book file shows that a Battelle scientist reported a sighting of his own.

On the UAP Timeline

The main entrance to Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus. Self made photo.
The main entrance to Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus. Self made photo. Photo: Analogue Kid at English Wikipedia · CC BY 2.5 · via Wikimedia Commons
  • Pentacle memo (9 January 1953) — A Battelle scientist suggests using Project Stork to reassure the public that everything is under control.
  • Howard Cross's own sighting (17 December 2001) — A researcher finds a Blue Book file showing a Battelle scientist reported his own sighting.

References

This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.

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