File 6980 · August 6, 1977
Tom Dawson and the White Humanoids
Pelham, Georgia, United States
Opened 9/5/2026 · Revised 9/10/2026
Sighting photograph. Image pulled from the public post. — UFO Evidence / Billy Rachels, Ronald Story
Standing
Unidentified
On the public record, and still open. A claim, paper, or film — not a finding that it was ours, and not a finding that it was not.
Retired automobile salesman Tom Dawson, 63, was walking with his two dogs... A hatch in the object opened, a ramp was extended, and 7 strange looking humans 5 ft tall emerged, five men and two women.
What was claimed
Retired automobile salesman Tom Dawson, 63, encountered a circular craft that landed near a pond while walking his dogs. He was paralyzed, along with his dogs and nearby cattle. Seven white-skinned humanoids (some nude, some in shimmering suits) with pointed ears and no necks emerged, examined him with devices, and a voice claiming to be Jimmy Hoffa was heard from the craft.
What is on the record
This file is a working record — a report, not a verdict. Official paper, if any, is linked where we have it.
At approximately 10:30 a.m., Tom Dawson left his trailer home in Pelham with his two dogs for a walk toward a nearby pond. As he crossed a pasture with grazing cattle, a large circular object 40-50 feet in diameter and 12-14 feet high with a dome and portholes suddenly appeared, hovering 4 feet above the ground and changing colors rapidly. Dawson found himself completely paralyzed, as were his dogs and the cattle. A ramp extended from the craft and seven humanoids, about 5 feet tall with snow-white skin, pointed ears, upturned noses, and no visible necks, emerged (three males, two females described in some accounts; some clothed in shimmering one-piece suits that changed color, others nude). They approached and appeared to conduct a medical examination, placing a skullcap-like device on his head and a hoop-like instrument around his torso. During the encounter, a loud voice from inside the craft repeatedly announced 'I am Jimmy Hoffa.' After the examination, the beings returned to the craft, which departed. Dawson, shaken, ran to a neighbor's house. The case was reported to investigators and appeared in APRO publications and books by Ronald Story.
Could this have been ours?
The known sky, that night.
Satellites were already up. The station was not. Starlink was not.
Always
Aircraft, balloons, meteors
Landing lights, flares, lanterns, reentries, fireballs. They are on the known sky. They do not close a file by themselves — they are what a serious look has to hold the claim against.
The known sky
None of the above land
Stations, trains, and planets do not set down in a field or leave a body. This file is a ground report. The known sky still has to be named. It does not answer the claim.
Orbit · Space — the desks for lights that are already named.
Sources
Related files
Same craft, same place, same years. A neighbor in the catalogue — not a conclusion.
Same craft · Same year · Late September 1977, ~11:00 PM
Ethel May Field Sighting
Parkstone, Dorset, United Kingdom · United Kingdom
Unidentified
Housewife Ethel May Field saw a round object with a dome hovering in her garden. Through windows in the dome, she observed two humanoid figures in silver suits and pointed headgear looking out. The craft emitted a humming sound, grey glow, and beams before departing.
Same craft · Same year · 4 February 1977
Broad Haven school, Wales
Broad Haven, Wales · United Kingdom
Unidentified
Schoolchildren at Broad Haven Primary reported a silver craft and a figure in a field. They drew it before they could confer.
Same craft · Same country · Same years · August 1976
Allagash waterway
Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Maine · United States
Unidentified
Four friends on a canoe trip described a large light, missing time, and later, under hypnosis, a shared examination. The hypnosis is the contested part.
Same craft · Same country · Same years · January 29, 1976
Johnny Sands Blimp-Shaped Craft Encounter
Las Vegas, Nevada · United States
Unidentified
Country singer Johnny Sands observed a large blimp-like craft and was approached by two bald humanoids with gill-like features who communicated with him before departing. He reported the event publicly and to investigators.
Same craft · Same country · Same years · January 29, 1976
Johnny Sands Desert Encounter
Las Vegas · United States
Unidentified
Country-western singer Johnny Sands reported seeing a 60-foot blimp-shaped craft with portholes while driving on Blue Diamond Road. Two humanoid figures approached him, questioned him about his presence and humanity's nuclear activities, issued a warning, and departed. Sands was interviewed by researchers and media shortly after; the case was examined by APRO during the 1973-1976 flap period.
Same craft · Same country · Same years · 29 January 1976
Johnny Sands, Blue Diamond Road
Blue Diamond Road, near Las Vegas · United States
Unidentified
A country singer said his car died on the desert road and two bald figures in one-piece suits approached. APRO took the statement; it remains a single-witness claim.