Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite (1916-2009) was an American broadcast journalist and news anchor for CBS News. In the 1950s, Cronkite witnessed a UFO incident while covering an Air Force missile test on a South Pacific island as part of a media pool. During the test, a large disc-shaped object approximately 50-60 feet in diameter appeared and allegedly emitted a blue beam of light that immobilized the missile, a guard, and a dog. Cronkite remained skeptical of official Air Force explanations and did not believe the phenomenon was of terrestrial origin. In 1973, he hosted a CBS News special on UFOs, interviewing researchers and witnesses about the subject. Though he shared his personal UFO encounter with only a few people, including UFO researcher Bill Knell, Cronkite never publicly disclosed the incident during his broadcasting career.