Many thanks to FOX NEWS Channel for their sober reportage and investigation(ongoing, hopefully) of the F-16 scramble near Andrews AFB on July 26,2002. The following transcript is a word-for-word rundown of their report,as I caught on video as it was broadcast. Note the clear emphasis the reportageplaced on the discrepancies from ground witness testimony vs. (alleged)pilot testimony.

Transcript of FOX NEWScast, dated JULY 26, 2002 around 7:40 p.m. E.D.T.

SHEPARD SMITH: THe nighttime skies over the nation's capital alive withblue and orange lights streaking across the sky, so say a lot of panickedpeople who called in to a radio station, no joke here. American fighterjets in hot pursuit... NORAD confirmed to FOX News that 2 F-16s did scramble,but found nothing! A mystery in the sky above Andrews Air Force Base...that's the one The President uses. Fox report now from Brian Wilson livein our D.C. newsroom. Brian?

BRIAN WILSON: Fair to say, Shepard. A lot more questions than answersat this point, but something strange was going on in the Maryland nightsky. Here is what we know; 1:00 a.m. the folks at NORAD saw something theycouldn't identify in Maryland airspace, not far from the nation's capitol.The track it was taking caused them some concern so they scrambled 2 DCAir National Guard jets to check things out.

Now, DC Air National Guard confirms that 2 F-16s from the 113th Wingwere vectored to intercept whatever it was that NORAD was worried about.However, when the pilots got where they were supposed to be, they saidthey didn't see anything when they arrived on the scene.  Now thefolks at NORAD would not provide details about the exact location, directionor speed of the object they were tracking.

Now independently, a number of folks who live in Waldorf, Maryland,which is not far from Andrews Air Force Base and not far from the nation'scapitol, called local radio station WTOP to say that about the same, theywitnessed a fast moving, bright blue light in the sky. They go on to claimthat the light was being chased by military jets. One witness tells theradio station that the jets were right on its tail. Quote: "as the thingwould move, a jet was right behind it..." end of quote.

An investigation is underway. But National Guard spokesman Captain SheldonSmith says, and this is another quote, "We don't have any information aboutfunny lights." By the way, this just happens to be the 50th anniversaryof a series of still-unexplained sightings over the nation's capitol, astory that made banner-headline news in 1952. Shepard, we'll continue towatch for this.

SHEPARD SMITH: And now it can be told... Brian Wilson, live in Washington.

END OF TRANSCRIPT
Typed from videotape of FOX NEWS 7:00 p.m. E.D.T. newscast
Filed,
Kenny Young, 7-27-02