After 50 years a witness to a UFO at Trindade Island talks about criticism over the case.
By Alexandre de Carvalho Borges, consultant of the Brazilian UFO Magazine e-mail address: unificatordigitalis@yahoo.com.br
Translated by Eduardo Rado volunteer translator of the Brazilian UFO Magazine e-mail address: eduardoradotradutor@yahoo.com.br
Amilar Viera Filho, now 82, was a witness to the famous UFO case occurred in 1958 which became worldly known as Trindade Island Case. Amilar lives with his wife in Icarai Beach, Niteroi (RJ), and was the president of Icarai Underwater Fishing Club at the time. He was a lawyer and worked for Banco do Brasil. The Trindade Island Case is a classic in Ufology mentioned by ufologists as one of the greatest evidence of the UFO phenomenon on Earth. This case should be only one among many others in the archives of ufology if there were not four impressive pictures of the UFO taken by a professional photographer called Almiro Barauna. Those pictures were shown worldwide and are contained in several specialized books being continuously debated and discussed even 50 years after the case. From the time of the occurrence opinions were divided with some publications attacking the photographer by accusing him of fraud and manipulation of the pictures. Others defend their authenticity because they know Barauna's reputation and also because the sighting is supported by testimonials from many other people that were aboard the ship Almirante Saldanha, stage to the sighting. Witnesses observed the UFO hovering over the sea and the island while only Barauna was ready to use his camera to register the object in the sky.
The sighting was very quick. According to calculations from the Brazilian Navy it took no more than 14 seconds. Despite the short duration, some reports and articles on the case tell that many people were at the deck of the ship and could witness the UFO. At the time reporters could interview some of them while others gave their testimonials in anonymity. However, only a few from those eyewitnesses had their names disclosed for posterity. This turns difficult the attempt to list all those eyewitnesses in order to rewrite that fact with a new look. We know that most of them are dead now and some others could not be reached. Amilar would be the only witness alive that had the name disclosed by newspapers and articles were written over these years.
Some witnesses who were in the ship at the moment of the encounter are known by name to date: the photographer, Almiro Barauna; Amilar Vieira Filho, president of Icarai Underwater Fishing Club; Jose Teobaldo Viegas, Brazilian Air Force Reserve Captain; Homero Ribeiro, 1st Lieutenant; Paulo Moreira da Silva, Commander; Mauro Andrade, employee at Bank of London; Aloisio Araujo, no reference to his occupation; Jose Saldanha da Gama, Captain; Carlos Ferreira Bacellar, Lieutenant-Commander; Farias de Azevedo, photographer; Fernando, geologist. Despite being on board, not all of them were eyewitnesses to the UFO. Moreover, the presence of the geologist Fernando is not verified, since reports say he must have left the ship before in the island. Names of other witnesses were not disclosed, however, newspapers and Barauna say that some military were interviewed at that time but preferred anonymity. There is also reference to sailors and sergeants who would have seen everything, but unfortunately their names are not known nowadays.
The following interview was taken by phone and focused on questions prepared based on current criticism and old ones being revived nowadays. After so many years, Amilar restates that he really saw the UFO and the occurrence was real. Years after his sighting at Trindade Island he had another visual contact together with his wife. This time it was a USO over Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro. What we could learn from this is that the episode gets reinforced despite some inconsistencies here and there when we join together all documents related to the case. Such inconsistencies may arise from witnesses particular points of view subject to the observation of an unknown phenomenon without any previous parameters. One can not rule out that many inconsistencies may arise from totally wrong sources. Finally, if there was any photographic fraud performed by Barauna this was never confirmed despite all analyses conducted. As the interviewee say, if there was any fraud in the pictures it was made from the real UFO observation at Trindade Island.
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Alexandre de Carvalho Borges: Do you have the names of the 48 people that witnessed the UFO?
Amilar Vieira Filho: No… I don't… not even the names of the crew. Who mentioned the number of 48? I haven't heard that, not about 48 people seeing the object. I have no information on that.
Alexandre: So there were not so many people seeing the object?
Amilar: Everybody was at the deck, everybody looked at it, but I don't know if there were 48 people looking at the object.
Alexandre: Was there any confusion on board at the moment of the sighting?
Amilar: Yes, there was a lot of noise and confusion.
Alexandre: Don't you have the name of any military officer?
Amilar: No, I don't. I met Bacellar in that ship [Lieutenant-commander Carlos Alberto Bacellar] and Captain Saldanha da Gama [Jose Santos de Saldanha da Gama].
Alexandre: Did Bacellar saw the UFO?
Amilar: No, he didn't; nor Captain Saldanha da Gama. It was a very quick sighting, didn't take long.
Alexandre: Before that event did you have any information on other sightings at the island before the arrival of your group from Icarai?
Amilar: We heard about objects appearing over the island only after that occurrence and the pictures taken by Barauna. Bacellar had no authorization to disclose information on UFO sightings occurred in that island.
Alexandre: But didn't you hear anything, Weren't there any comments from the crew about objects being seen in that island?
Amilar: No, I had never heard that kind of story. Also, we stayed there only for two days. The ship was there to deliver supplies and we went on diving for two days only.
Alexandre: Testimonials say that you were the first one to spot the UFO and then called Jose Viegas [Jose Teobaldo Viegas, then Brazilian Air Force Reserve Captain] who, in turn, called Almiro Barauna. Is that true?
Amilar: Viegas must have seen it first and then called Barauna, because I saw it afterwards, when the object was already beside Desejado Peak.
Alexandre: So Jose Viegas was the first one to see the UFO? Amilar: Yes, Viegas was the first. He said he saw a door, a window, etc. I haven't seen any of these. He gave an interview about it, which I avoided because I thought it would be kind of ridiculous. I don't like to talk about it, never wanted to get involved. That time I gave only one interview to O Globo newspaper with my little daughter in my arms and asked the reporter to write exactly what I had said, not to increase anything.
Alexandre: Was that an event that influenced your life or was that irrelevant?
Amilar: No big influence, I just skipped a few days of work at the bank. The Brazilian Navy also asked us not to disclose anything. We spent one month without talking about the event. Barauna had an agreement with Diarios Associados newspaper in order to publish the story as soon as the Navy granted the authorization. However, a director from Correio da Manha newspaper saw the pictures held by president Kubitschek and was to publish that on Monday. Then, Diarios Associados decided to publish too in that same morning.