Had Mantell told Godman Tower more than the Air Force admitted? I went back to the Pentagon and asked for a full transcript of the flight leader’s radio messages. I got a quick turn-down. The reports, I was told, were still classified as secret. Requests for pictures of the P-51 wreckage, and for a report on the condition of Mantell’s body, also drew a blank. I had heard that some photographs were taken of the Godman Field saucer from outside the tower. But the Air Force denied knowledge of any such pictures.
Puzzling over the riddle, I remembered John Steele, the former Intelligence captain. If by any chance he was a plant, it would be interesting to suggest the various answers and watch his reaction. When I phoned him to suggest luncheon, Steele accepted at once. We met at the Occidental, on Pennsylvania Avenue. Steele was younger than I had expected—not over twenty-five. He was a tall man, with a crew haircut and the build of a football player. Looking at him the first time, I expected a certain breeziness. instead, he was almost solemn.
“I owe you an apology,” he said in a careful voice after we’d ordered. “You probably know I’m a syndicate writer?”
I wondered if he’d found out Jack Daly was checking on him.
“When you mentioned the Press Club,” I said, “I gathered you were in the business.”
“I’m afraid you thought I was fishing for a lead.” Steele looked at me earnestly. “I’m not working on the story—I’m tied up on other stuff.”
“Forget it,” I told him.
He seemed anxious to reassure me. “I’d been worried for some time about the saucers. I called you that night on an impulse.”
“Glad you did,” I said. “I need every tip I can get.”
“Did it help you any?”