SUMMARY: THE AIR NATIONAL GUARD RUMOR

NIDS contacted the Air National Guard in St. Louis, Missouri at a senior level to determine if the rumor that F-15's were scrambled in response to the unidentified craft was true or not. While this rumor received considerable attention in the media and on the internet, it seemed highly unlikely because none of the eyewitnesses reported seeing any military aircraft that night. According to the St. Louis National Guard, no F-15s and no aircraft were scrambled that night. A senior Air National Guard officer explained that it is extremely rare to have Air National Guard personnel present at 4:00 - 5:00 am, and that on the night in question (1/5/2000) no personnel were present. Therefore, it is NIDS' position that no Air National Guard aircraft were scrambled from St. Louis, MO on 1/5/2000.