Clarence R. „Bud“ Clem

Clarence R. “Bud” Clem (c. 1924-2014) was an American U.S. Navy fighter pilot during World War II. As a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the Naval Reserves, he served with Air Group 50 aboard the USS Cowpens (CVL-25), earning his wings on May 15, 1944, in Corpus Christi, Texas. In January 1945, while his squadron was stationed at Pasco, Washington (January 9-February 15), Clem witnessed UFO activity over the top-secret Hanford plutonium production plant. On three nights, radar tracked bright objects; Lt. Cmdr. Richard Brown pursued one in an F6F Hellcat but it accelerated northwest at high speed, eluding interception. Clem relayed radar data from the control tower. Declassified documents confirm unidentified aircraft over Hanford in January 1945. Clem shared his account in a 2009 email and 2013 video interview with UFO researcher Robert Hastings, contributing key eyewitness testimony to early UFO-nuclear site connections.