Factual error: Building 18 at the National Guard base has a crest saying "Fargo Air National Guard." This is incorrect. It is the North Dakota Air National Guard. Any crest other than the ANG would say the number and name of a unit based there, or the owning command. (00:13:10)
Factual error: Moving vehicles with officers inside are not saluted except when the car is an official one displaying the flag of a general officer. (00:13:55)
Factual error: Military personnel do not exchange salutes when indoors. (00:20:15)
Factual error: Captain Quinn's uniform has many inaccuracies. He should be wearing a name tag. His ribbons are out of order of precedence. Worst of all, he has what looks like a Vietnam Service Medal with three stars, signifying having won the award four times. This is 1952. The medal was not even established until 1965. Vietnam was not even an issue in 1952. (00:21:30)
Factual error: In the last scene, a general is seen wearing service stripes on his left sleeve. Service stripes were authorized for only a very brief period in the USAF shortly after separation from the Army in 1947. And they have never been authorized for officers. (00:43:15)
Factual error: Air Force personnel are retrieving supposedly alien debris from a forest. They are wearing dress blues, ties and all. This would never happen. They should be wearing what were then called "fatigues", essentially a precursor of the BDUs in use today. (00:16:00)
Factual error: A US Air Force Staff Sergeant is seen delivering some documents. He is wearing Navigator wings. There are no enlisted navigators. Navigators are all officers. (00:20:45)
Factual error: A vehicle is shown with US Army markings and a "US Government" license plate. First of all this is an Air Force Base, and a US Army vehicle would be the exception. Second, license plates on otherwise identified military vehicles are not used. Third, the license plate is of the 1990s variety and forward, and not one that would be used in 1952. (00:01:50)
Factual error: Military personnel are seen using coveralls and fatigues. But they have no markings or insignia on them. This is not regulation. (00:02:10)
Factual error: A man in unmarked coveralls is addressed as "sir." This would imply he is an officer. Yet later, it is revealed that he is a Master Sergeant. Sergeants are never addressed as "sir." (00:08:00 - 00:14:50)
Factual error: The Secretary of the Air Force enters a room. A captain not in uniform salutes him. You do not salute out of uniform, and you do not salute civilians. You stand at attention. (00:09:20)
Factual error: Captain Quinn refers to the civilian they have just seen as Secretary of Defense Fairchild. In the early 1950s the Secretary of Defense was Robert A. Lovett. The Secretary of the Air Force was Thomas K. Finletter. Nowhere was Fairchild ever SecDef or SecAF. This from a show that purports to be based on real events. (00:10:20)
Factual error: A Master Sergeant is being interrogated. Captain Quinn is reading his ID Card. The card has an expiration date of "Indefinite." Enlisted personnel have a expiration date that coincides with their term of enlistment. Only officers have an "Indefinite" expiration date. (00:15:00)
Factual error: Mr. Hynek is shown walking, loosely holding a folder in his right hand marked "Top Secret." Classified material has to be transported in a sealed container, usually one with red stripes around the border. Here is an excerpt of regulations for hand-carrying classified material: "Classified information must be double wrapped or packaged as though it were being sent by mail, kept under your constant control (i.e., not left in the trunk of your car while you run another errand), and delivered only to an authorized person. A briefcase may serve as the outer wrapper only if it is locked and approved for carrying classified material." (00:35:00)
Factual error: Dr. Hynek is showing a movie on a table projector. The light from the projector is shown directed towards a portable movie screen, and is covering maybe the center quarter of the screen. In the next shot the movie is occupying the entire screen. There is no way the projector being that close to the screen would show a full screen image. It would need a special wide angle lens, which the projector does not have, as shown by the tight beam of light from it. (00:03:40)
Factual error: General officer topcoats have two mohair stripes on the sleeve. The general wearing the topcoat has none. Second, hands in pockets are not allowed. Regulations state: "members will not... stand or walk with hands in pockets of any uniform combination, other than to insert or remove items." Third, it is unauthorized to turn up collars when it is cold. Gray scarves can be used. Also, the generals both have their 4-star shoulder insignias backwards. The points of the stars parallel to the epaulets should be towards the neck. (00:16:30)
Factual error: An Army Lieutenant comes in to announce a phone call. His fatigues have the top button buttoned. Not authorized. An exception is when a person is at the firing range. The top button can be buttoned while in firing position to prevent shell casings from dropping inside the shirt. (00:18:05)
Factual error: An Army Sergeant would under no circumstances be allowed to disrespect a Captain as he does Captain Quinn. (00:21:30)
Factual error: An entire platoon of Army soldiers salutes a civilian, which would never happen. (00:27:45)
Factual error: Army enlisted men were not allowed to sport scraggly beards in the early 1950s. (00:30:30)
