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COWLEY COUNTY (FROM CBS NEWS) -- As anyone who has ever pulled a white rabbit out of a black hat will tell you, the art of fooling people depends on doing things right in front of their eyes.

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What, then, might one think of the explanations being offered to the poor, frightened people of Cowley County in Kansas? For just a few hours ago, they witnessed what some of them suspected was an extra-terrestrial craft being wheeled through their streets.

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It was only last Monday afternoon when a vast shrink-wrapped, saucer-shaped thing was seen being towed down Cowley County's Highway 77.

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Street signs had to be moved so that this saucer didn't fly into them. Is it any wonder that slightly cowed Cowleyites believed this to be a UFO?

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Because technology lies at the very heart of Kansas--why, Sprint is headquartered there--the locals filmed this troubling sight. The saucer must have been at least 30 feet wide.

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Of course, the local authorities, no doubt feeling the need to be authoritative, immediately announced there was no need to be alarmed.

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As Yahoo News reports, Sheriff Don Read declared that this was a drone created by the clever people at Northrop Grumman. A PR man from Northrop Grumman suddenly materialized to tell the world that this was an X-47B drone, destined for use by the Navy.

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