DOW-UAP-D093 — Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the United States, 1948

TL;DR

Turns out 1948 drafts were still more mysterious than the sightings.

• Dept. of War, 12/10/48, Virginia.
• Summarizes 1947-48 UFO sightings, shapes, radar contacts, and experimental wing aircraft.
• Concludes objects seen but cannot be readily identified; possible domestic or Soviet origin.

AI summary

The document DOW-UAP-D093, Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the United States, 1948, is a declassified report analyzing sightings of unidentified flying objects in the U.S. during 1948. It includes descriptions of various shapes such as silver disks, balls, and pencil-shaped objects, noting differences in observations based on lighting and viewing conditions. The report categorizes objects into three configurations and explores possible origins, both domestic and foreign. It references sightings from 1947 to 1948, with accounts from witnesses, military personnel, and civilians, detailing rapid movements and unusual formations. Some incidents involve radar intercepts and investigations, with some objects identified as balloons, aircraft, or celestial bodies, while others remain unidentified. The document also mentions experimental aircraft and unidentified objects observed in Indiana, though dates and locations are unclear.

Full text

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ReplacesDAAGOFortn895,1Apr48,andAFRQ
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TOP SEORET
2 6167
AIR INPELLTGENCE DIVISION STUDY
(DI/USAF-ONT)
ANALYSTS OF FLYINO OBJECT INCIIENTS IN THE U.S.
Study No. 203 10 necomber 1948
DISTE FBUT ION COPT NO.
Air Intel Req niv I and 3
Air Eutimatos Branch
ONT
Air Intel Div DECLASSIFIED
AuortAFINAMe 3/5/5
By TWAR D 3/2/85 COPY NO. 3
TOP SLCRET

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OEONET
ANALYSTS OF FLYTIO OBJECT TN GELEITS IN THE U.S.
TNDEX
APPeNprx "A" - Analysis of Flvying Obiect Mcidents in the U.S. and
Hroothetical Tacties Eaploved
APpennrx "g" - Reported Sightings of Elving Objeots as of I Aurust 194s
Appennix "ca - Seleeted Eoports of Elving Object Ineidents
APPEDrx "p" - Elving Wing Type Aireraft
-TOP-SECRET

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FOP SECRET
10 December 1948
ANALYSIS OF FLYING OEJEGT INGIDENTS IN THE U.S.
PROBLAM
L. To ecanine pattorn of tacties of "rlying Saucers" (hereimafter
referred to as flying objeots) and to develop conolusions as to the
possibility of existence.
FACTS AND DISCUSSION
2. A dotailed discussion of informntion bearing on the problem
as set forth above is attached as Appendix "A". The main points estab-
Liohed therein are sunarized below.
3. The frequency of reported ineidenta, the similarity in many of
the characterioties attributed to tho oboerved objects and the quality
of observers considered as a whole, support the contention that aone
type of flying objeet has beon observed. Approxinately 2lo incidonts
have beon reported. Anong the obsorvers reporting on such ineidonbs
are trained and oxperienced U.S. Weather Bureau personnel, USAF rated
offlcers, experienced civilian pilots, technicians associated wi.th
various researoh projects and technicians omployed by comercial air-
lines.
4. The possibility that reported observations of flylng objects
over the U.S. were intluenced by previous sightings of unidentified
phenomena in gurope, particularly over Seandinavia in 1946, and that
the observers reporting euch incidents may have beon interested in ob-
taining personal publieity have boen conaidered as posnible explanations.
Mowever, these possibilities soen to be irprobable when cortain selected
reperbe such as the one from U.S. Wenthar Dureau at Mchmond are ex-
anined. During observations of weather balloons at the dichmond Bureau,
one well trained obsorver hae sihbed sorenge metallie dioke on three
occanions and another obsarver hns sightad a similar ebjeet on one
TOP SECRET

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TOP-CECRET
occasion. The last observation of unidentified objects was in April,
1947. On all four ocoaslons the weather balloon and the unidentified
objeots were in viow through the theodolite. These obssrvations at the
Richmond Bureau cecurred several months before publioity on the flying
saucers appeared in a U.S. newapaper.
5. Peseriptions of the flying objeets fall into three configurs-
tion categories: (1)diak-shaped 2) rough eigar-shaped (3) balls of
fire. Varying conditions of visibility and differenees in angles at
which the objeots may have been viewed introduces a possibility that a
singls byps object may have been observed rather than threo different
types. This possibility is further substantiated by the fact that in
the areas where such objects have been obeerved the ratio of the three
general confi gurations is approxiantely the sans.
6. Therefore, it appears that some object has beon sean; however,
the identification of that object cannot be readily accomplished on the
basis of information reported on each incident. It is possible that the
object, or objeets, may have been domestically launched deviees such as
weather balloons, rockets, experimental flying wing aireraft, or celes-
tial phenomena. It is necessary to obtain inforaution on such domestic
aotivity to confirm or deny this posaibility. Depanding upon the degree
with which this may be acoomplishod, forelgn devioes munt then be con-
sidered as a posaibility.
7. The patterm of sightings is definable. Sightinge have been
most intense throughout the states bordoring the Atlantie and Pacifie
coast lines, and the central states of Ohio and Kentucky. A map showing
Location of sightings is attached an Appendix "g".
S. The origin of the dovioss is not sscertainable. There are twe
rengonabls poneibdlities: (1) The objects are domestie deviens, and if
so, their idantifiontion or origin oan be astabliahed by a survey of all
laumehings of airborne objeots. Domestie flying wing type airoraft ob-
served in various anpoots of flight might bo reaponaible for some of the

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reportod flying objecto, particularly those described ae disk~ and
rough oi~r _aha~a.

(Seo Append1eea "C11 and nn11 . ) Among those which

Jiave been operational in recent yeara are the XF5U-l ("Flying Flapjack")

.

developed by Obance-Vaugb:tt, tM Northrup B-35, and the turbo-jet powered
Tb& ~osent exiatence of any privately developed fiying­

Northrup YB-49•

wing type aircraft baa not been determined but one ouch aircraft, the

.

I

Aru.p taille$8 monoplane, was operational at south Bend, lndiana, prior
to 1935. {2) Objects are fore:i."1, snd it ao, it would aeem most logi­
cal to consider that they are from a Soviet eouree. The Sovieto posoese
•

l,

'

'

"

intormtion on a number of Oenian ni,.ng-1iringt1P9 aircraft such aa the
G>tha P60A, Junkers EF 1~ long-range, high-speed j~t bomber and the

Horten 229 twin-jet fighter, -whioh p-:irticularly reaablea ooe ot the
descr1pt1ona of unidentified flying objects (See Appendix 11 0 11 ) . As
early aa 1924 Tncheran01rt1k7 devoloped a "Parabola" airorart, an all
wing de&ilJl, which wno the outcoms of oonm.darabls Soviet experimentation
with gliderD or the oame general. form.

SOYiet aircraft baf!led on ouch

deaigna m.1.ght bave speeds approaching trnnsonio •peeda attributsd to aome
flying object ■ or greater overall performance assuming the succ&as.ful
developxnent at eome unueual propulaion d~ce aaeh aa atomic energy

engine.

9. That tb9 Soviet■ have a current interest 1n flyinc•'Wing type
•iroraft 1• auggeated by their utilization of nr. OuS1ther BOolc who, at
the end ot world rrar n, • • 1n charge ot the nyJ.ng-wtng progru in

Germany' (see Appendix ttA", ~•graph 3, page 4). Aobievementa aat1•­
taotory to tbs u.s.s.R. are indirectly indicated by the pereooal recog­
nition h• 1• report.ed to be NoetTing in the u.s.s.n.

Recently it ha11

been repoi-ted tt»t the u.s.s.R. 1• planning to build a n ..t of 1,800
-

Horten flying-Wing aircraft.

Informati(m of low evaluation baa baon

reoeind etatintr t!nt a regl.lns.nt ot jet m.ght .t ishtere, Hod•l Ilorten
XIII, 11 at Kumm:f kha, an air base two miles t1outl'Pfea\ of Iiokutak.

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Kurm;ti kha. is identified as one of a number of airfields for the pro-

-

tection ot an atomic energy plant at Irkutsk. The Horten XllI as
developed by Oermny ,ms o. glider.
10.

Assu.idng that the objects might t,ventually be identifiod as

forei~ or foreign-sponsored dev-lces, the possible reason for their

appe,arance over the u.s. requires consideration.

Several posoible ex­

planations appsnr noteworthy,, v.i.zi

a. To ne~te u.s. confidence in the a.tom bomb as tho moot

advanced ond decisive weapon in warfare .
b.

To perform photographic reconnaissance missions.

c.

To test u.s. air defenoeo.

d.

To conduct :f'ami.liari~ation £lights over u.s. territoey.
OONCLUSI<llS

u.
-

Since tm .Ur r.-orce is reaponsiblo for control or the air in

the dofcnae of the u.s~, it is 1.mperativn that all other agenoies oo-­

opsratc, 1n confirming or denying the poeoibility that theae obje-,ts
have a domestic or1:61n•

otherwiao, if it is fir.inly indicated t.bat

there 1a no d01ne1t10 explanation, tM object• are a throa~ and warrant
m.ore activo etforta of identification and intorc~tion.
12.

It mua-t be accepted tmt some type of fi1ina obj•ots ha'Ye been

obae"11d, although the i r identification and origin are not diaoernabl.e.
Di the intereot ot' national defense it would bj un'rfiN to overlook the
po~sibility that e

e ot tmee objects i:ny bs of toreia;i origin•

4 Inole1
l~ " d1X "A" - Analyaie of Flying Objeot Inoidents in tbl u.s. and
Hypoth9t1oal Taotios Employed
.Appendix "B• - Plot or Flying Objeo'b S1Sht,1np in the U.S.
Appendix II C1' .. Selected Reports of Plying ObJeot Incident•
Appl.tldb. ?tD• - FlJing lfinl Type Airoratt

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APPEiDIX llAlf

ANALYSIS OF FLYilTG OBJECT IUCIDENTS Ilf Tlm U.S.
AND HTPOTHETIOAL TAOTICS l'?iPLOXED
l.

Introduction.

To formulate tho possible tactic• of

jects reported ovor the U.S. assumes from the outGet that firm conclu­
sions have beon reached on both the exiotonce pnd origin of the r oported

flying objects.

The current status of information on such incidents

and overall analys1o doec not cllow subotentiation for auoh concluaione.
However. the lack of such firm concluaions points to the necessity for
an immodiato and sound statisticnl annl7oiA of every nepect of the aituo.­

tion and doeo not proclude a concurrent examination of the reported in­
cidents to develop explanatione of their possible tactioe.

The latter

will be useful at oome future date ohould tho exictencea.ndoririn of the
flying objocts be definitely e•tabliahed.

Theroforc , tho followint;

anolyais of availablo information ii advanced in order to praeent evi­
dence on the actunl exhtenoa of somo tn,e fl7ill(; object and to relate
samo to tactical purposen for which the objects are pose1bly deeiEned.
The foJ.lovin,:; dhcueslo.n mu.at be cone1derod a provi111onal o.nalycie,
pend1n6 a further dotailod analyaio of all aspects of the problem.
2.

Somn J1.1rpoota RMIU'tllM F171na ObJeot Incld~nt4.

A. cureory

cxaM1nat1on of evidence on reported incident ■ haa been mnde o.nd it 1•
po111ble to cite certain genorAlltiee which it npp~nre MQ.1 be borne out
when detailed a.nal71os ha~• been completed.
Amo~ the 1noidentB reported there are m&IJ.1' otatemonta by
reliable and experienced pereone which t~nd to confirll that fl7lng ob­
j~ote havo been aeon.

The detcription of ouch objeot~ 1nem• to fall

rou«hl7 into thre• catogor1$ ■:
-

(1) 811••r dieke or balls. &pproxil0at1n&

a Horton will«$ tn>e aircraft; (a) Dal.le Qf fire ot Tnrlous colore and
lntenei\101; (3) Ott r or p noil-shaped object, atmtl~r i~ apponronce
\o V-2 type rockets in horliontal flight.

1

ihe numbere of configurations

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>

might be further roduced wi

the follow~ conoideratione i n mind:

Silver disks or balls have,

or the greater part, been observed in

daylight nnd a number under lear weather conditions with visibility
unlit1i~edt

In aost instanc a. balla of fire have been oboerved at

Oie;ar. or pencil-sh

od objects have been aig~tod in fe\fer

nwnbers but ~,ith about equa

distribution in daylight and at nieht.

A few accounts toll of

·eks havil'.l,f; u rough eigar- ahapo whon

viewed vh1lo maneuvering.

me of the dioka are described no having

lw:ninoa1t7 in daylight.

hereforo is poseible that e sin&lo type

night.

of object J11a1 be involved i

cightinga. and diffo~onceo in dee­

cription n1A7 reault from vi

ng tho objects at variouo ~lee and

under diftoring conditiona

vieib1lit1.

Tho n.boTo

and tho poseibil ity

t tho object or obJecta aeen aro conven-

tional domestic deviceG , ru

e.a we&thor balloons, test rockets, or Jet­

equ.ipped aircraft with pane

or flyi~ will£ oonfigur~tiona.

The nos1ibility e

ate that the reportiJ:I& of f~ill8 objects
rliar reports on similar inoidente in

may have

-

indicate that some type object h:l.e been oeen

Soondino.via. and OllXltral Ilur

The publication in newaq>npera of de­

tails on auch incidents. bo

foreign and dom~atic. 1187 hove induced

eo~o of the description pro

ded in reported domeatic inoidenta.

one of the enrlieot reporte

1ightiD4t~ in thou.a. wae the one obaencd

by U.S. Weather Dureau per1

el in April 1947, at lliobmon,, \irginia.

and on \hG baei• ot

report lt appears that the diek• are not

bulloonn.

It vould aeem \

thin aighttng w•• not lnflueno~d by the re-

port• of forGt n 1nc1dontm,

be nev~Bfer aooou.nte of domoetic lnoidente,

nor by mieldentiflcation of

conTcntional object.

Altho~h reported
out the u.s., fregy.ency of

However,

mestie 1noidonte are l.1id.oly aoetterod through­
,;htl:ng a.nd n'U.lllber of obeervors per sighUue;

Page 12

. '

'asouoes a definable pattern." There is a large concentration of aight­
inga along the ~stern Seaboard. another large concentration throU(;h­
out the 1t'ostern Coast states, and a . few sightiru?s
- '-n the Mi ddle ,1est.

Distribution of incidonts by configuration of object snd description
of maneuverability is approximately equal in each of theoo araaa and
this i o believed to further 's ubstanti ate the possibility tbet one type
of object mieht have been observed in different asneots of fl i €ht.
If sightings are induced by rumor, it seeca unusU£>1 t.lult more

incidenta have not been reported from tho vreas with hi€h concentrat 1on of population.

Reports from such areas would also hnve creater

facility in channel1IJG either to newspapers or official reporting ngon­
clee.

For the most part , _o1ght1J1€;s have b~en made 1n fairly onen country

where there are few ro,trictione to vhibilit7, .·~-hich may indicate that .
obstructod vision hn.o reduced oightingo in bu11,-up aroas.
It thorofore Geems th.at aome type of flying objoct has been ob­
served; tho identification of ita origin requires tho co~!pletion of other

3.

Eoaa1blo Or1«1~ of UnuoU4l J'lrlns Objnpt1& Provided, upon the

completion of annlyaeB, it 1c inrlicated that nome or nll of the reported
flyill8 objects over the U.S. nro of foreign or1&in, the objectc could
from a logical viewpoint, be couaidered Soviet.

It is evident from the

perforaance character1et1oe attributed to the un1dnntified objectn at
thiu time that 1f they are foreign, the1 involve efficiencies of por­
formanoe which hnve not been ro&liz•d in nn~ op~rat1ollt\l airborne de­
vice in thie country.

It would, therefo•e, be o. rnietake to analyae the

technical n,weets of the situation within th• limtt, of our cwn knowl­
edge of p~actinnl dcvelopmentn.

It is more deeirable to consider then

the 0\1ter llmiti, of poealble Soviet develop11entfl and objecti1.ve11 in nt•
tEJmptlng to !c,rmul&.te aom

idea of the tectic" whioh might be involved.

Page 13

objectiveG of ihe u.s.s.R. ha.ve

of all, the
-

been st tod many times and indicatod i n many f orms,

The most clear­

cut statement of this obJoctive is prob bl7 the one contained in the
prea ble to the

ourth five- year Plan (1946-1950) which states that

the objective of Soviet science ie to overt ke and surp an the seienti.fio and technical development ,of the ca 1tali t nat1ona~
.would be · n imnosoible tosk for the Goviet Union to
.objoctive by proce ding st~- by- atep

It appar ntly

ocoopliah such an

lone; the same lines of develop­

ment already achieved in the capitalist

tione.

This would menn that

it would b-e ne oossary to rapidly proceed through en.ch phase of aero-

n utic I development that bae

lr aa,- been accomplished in thia country, and

this ~robably would never have any pro pecto of ace ler ti
ment b yond any point re ched by the U. S.
p lioh their objoct1v

Th

Soviet dev lop­

obviou an wer to

of not onl7 overt kin , but surpassing the capitalist

oountrioa would b a sci nt1f1c shortcut .

Thi poe 1b1lity 1 not so r -

mote when examined on the b aio of our knowl dge of th curr nt
in th U. S. S. R.
and

ncquir d fro

Ge

ny in 1945 and th

Germ n aoientiote, the po e1b111t7 of catchi

~

re 11 tio if th

Soviet

hav

work aided by

and pooaibly Ul'p ssin

int ohnic 1 dev lopment, b comes mor

comes ev n oor

shown

re 11at1c.

priority in our own progr

nther

Uo (flyin

to b

th

oc,

ci ntie

op

.s.R. hae sine 1946 enli ted the I r-

German who head d all develop

) t

wi

aircraft in Ge
in cl re

"1r

1

Y'•

Dr.

nt of low
ook: 111 bulteved

!' I.AM whio

t
h

t

airer f

re

7urth r, 1

oc

1•

llaltimum of

•

It is know that the u~
of Vr .

It be­

t ndency to ooncen-

tr te on cort in d8velopm nte whioh have still not reoe1v d

vie

ituation

Provi~ d Soviot eophasis was ·iven to the mot promieing

dvaneed idea

other n tion

coom­

e fr fly0

he

vi t •
4

• co

ld rd

Page 14

•.
-

the Germans o.nd possibly
flyi ng wing ty-pa aircraft w se confi[;Uration would be sinilor to des~
cr1r tions of cortain

r eported flyinc ovor the U. S.

mated q,eeds of such

range of the lower limits of

speed attributed to flyin,e o jecta over the U. S.

.

The eati­

It ia not 1I!Jposs1ble

that emphaois on surpas~ll'lo

oroii;n developments haa led to unuoual pro-

gres& in fucloandpropulaio

by the u.s. s.R.

~

In connection with pos-

a1ble advancemento in the fi ld of fuelo and propuloion. 1t: shou.ld be
observed that tho Russian o

oituation (regardless of eotimated oil

reaorvor,) io quite differont from t~t in the U. s.

-

i"or e~le, u. s.

oil industry is preparod to

urn out tremendous qunntit1ea of hi~hly

fractionotod petroleum pro

tq, while the u.~.s.R. cannot reasonebly

approach ouch c~pab111tiee.

Thie consideration dictates d1f!orent solu­

tions on fuel~ for propuls1o

1n the two countrieo and 1n turn, dictnte1

the direction taken in dev~~ omont of jat motors or the U88 of other propuloiv& dovicoa.

We must tl rcfora. arrive .at the concluoion that any-

Soviet aevice which mar have made ite s~penranoe over the u.s. as described, would possaeo unusUR performance charaot~ristioa ~hioli, in all
probability, would include

renge.

The poo1ibilit7 th~t they could

' unconventional aircraft moy ~ve been flown ov~r tho U.S. tor ono, all, or
a oombinntion of the followi g reasons:

ha•• b~eu used in• propB&&nda eonao. it
would be r easonable to assum

thnt the Goviete would mooee ttret to

fri«hten pro-Aoler:l.oan no.tton

in .filu.rope with the ap_p•aranoe of a rnd.1.ooll;y

5

Page 15

.,

nev we~pon to counteract

abilit~ of the U. S. t o obtain full propaganda
It will be remeI!l'berad t hat strange

effectivenees with the atom

objects first appeared over he Scandinavian coUhtriee in 1946.

The ob-

jects observed there had unu ual range and unusual performance oharacteris-

tics.

As this demonstration over tho Scandinavian countries occurred

tho U. S. was making a v1goro s campaign for t he economic and political
aligru:ient of these nations

th other pro~merican ieatern ~uropean na­

tions.

subsidod, strange flyine; objPcts bocan to

\?hen

be observod at an increaoine rote over the u. s.
point is that flyill(; object

The conclusion on this

may h~ve been used to frighten both Euro-

pean nations and the u.s. b~ tho appearance of a new device, and thnt
foilure to i dent ify such a

object would give them inval uable in­

dication that U. S. dovelopm

i s far behind that of tho Soviets.

Except for thi1J

i e believed that the uce of tho objects

to promoto fear

hleaa 1n that the U. S. public has tended

to characterize the&e incid tn entirely_an ho.llucinationE1 by ''crack pote 11 ,
misldentific~t1on of convent onal objecta, or that they repres~nt a secret
American project

not be publici~ed.

Any fear that micht re­

ault from Soviet

e only b~ a discovery that the objects h4ve

been Soviet aircraft and t

they involve radical developmanta which

ore 1n advance of our

objeot~ for the cellecticn

~hotograph1o intGlligence or the mappil'IB

of certain aren1 in the U.S

The evaaive action emplo7ed by all objocta

•16hted

an attempt to avoid bei!l€ aightod. na an

~ttcmpt to prevent d11clo1u

of the ex&ct t;vpe of fl1ing crmtt and it•

miaeion.

!rhe ~l~ht1nc of o eets over the U.S. ru o ~een most intense 1A

•

Eaetorn and Westorn Coa~t

ln addition, Jightitl&• of flying ooJeote

6

Page 16

J

have been made near Oak Ridge, Tenn.; :Uo.s Cruces. n, H. , and in the

·-

general area of the Hanford Works in ' Orogon_.

Gonernlly, aightinis have

not been made over what we consider strategic industrial arooe .

The

reason for thia mi~ht be either thnt the flying_objecto have boen ob­
served only enroute to or from misoiono over tbeGe . oore concentrated
strategic arena, or that the Soviets obtained sufficient information
.
during thoir World War II liaioon with u.s. industry to natiafy tho1r
intelligence reQuirements and have a more active requir~~ent for in~oroation on industrioe and area~ which were not available to the~ during
World Uar It contacts.

This 12 of inter~st in connection with the

sightinca near Oak Ridge, LaG Cruces, and in tha general area of the Hanford
Works nince theee eetabliohmnnts wrenot , end ara not , acocsaibl~ to Soviet
collectoro of photo~raphic intelli -~onco.

lt is poffolblo thnt the use of 5oviot f1Yill6 objects over
the U. S. io int~ndcd oni,- to dotormine the ability of the U.3. defenses
to npot ioreign aircraft .

Thie would be of extreme laportanoe to the

U.G.S.R. in tho event that a one-way all-out attack of Soviet atre.te­
g1o bombers 1o plcnned.

Ability to operQto oYer the U.S. unin'W.bitod

at a time when the u.s. is suppoced.17 ro-a1'1i21ng and puttin« greBt atrea1
on defenaee would provide yaluable informatiott on which to base e1tlmate1
for probnbilit7 of suocftoe in bombing stratoeic obJectiTe1 1n the U. S.
d.

Ew;l1l111rbetiop Zl,ittht1....2If'I£ U.8. T0n:1to;a.
This poaolbl~ reacon le ptrbnp$ the mott improbable.

lt

ie aooumod thnt, ohould thie 1;1urpooo bo involved, other purposori are
prob bl1 nl~o ccoolllpllahed ln ite execution.
-

Frov1dcd the u.n.s.n. het

unUoutilly hlsh pl!rformnnee a1rcreft they ~1{:ht find it ~dv.ontaeeoue to
famllit1rhe the11eo).Toe '11th the tol)o,;ro.pbf of the C'.8. in anticipation

ot futuro combat mi~aione to ~tratee1o tarcote •

..,

Page 17

•

I

•

5.

Concluaioa.

!he conclusion thot some tYPe of flying object

has been observed ovor the U.S. seems to be substantiated.

It is not

known at this time whether these obae:r"V'at1ono are mioidontifieations
of do~estically launched devices, natural phenomenn, or foreien un­
conventional aircraft.

It is, therefore, i mpossible to noke any re­

liable oxplanation for their ar,pearanco over the U~S• or the tact1cB
which they may- employ 1f the objects oboerved includo any foreign
developmente in aeronautical fields.

It is likewise i.Jp.possible at

this time to contain diecuesiona of posoi~le perfornance charaotoristice
or tactics within limits of practical reason, if for no other reason
than the faot that proof of the existence of a foreign development of

this tn>e would neoesearily introduce considerations of new principals

D.nd means not ¥et conoidercd practical poeaibilitiee in our own reeeorch and devol0pment .

8

,..

i.

Page 18

Athabaska
Fort
Vermilion
BRITISH W TOBA Sable
Haseton Rive N
than
ALBE AR L
IMB E The Pas I
R 2
Prince Lahe ston C. Cod
Fraser Winnipes N
Resd Deer Oita
Dauphi Manioba Sioux Laokout
Vancouver Kimloops Revelatoke Calgary S Wignipeg Superior.. An ong
buver Ro York
Medicine Hat Brand Foron Buffalo New Philadelphia
uluth
Williston River Fargo ES Pittsburgh
Missour Glendive St.Paul Detroit Baltimor
reat Fails R Biamarc Toledo Chesapeake Bay
Butte Washingt
Bling Chicago C. Hatteras
Cha
Rapid City
Eareis ville
Great Salt L.. Platte Ohio APPENDIX
R
North Platte - ashville REPORTED SIGETINGS OF FLYING OBJECTS
Elko Cheyenne City AS OF 1 AUGUST 1948
aly ake C ansas
N Denver D
San Francisco deato E "B
Oakland Pueblo Dodge City
Cedar City Tulsa River tona Beach
Oklaboma Little Ro Birmingham Bahama
Canadian Cay OR Islands
marill R a
Pt. Arguella anta Red
Barbari Flagstaff
Los Auquerque Ft. Mobile
Angele Worth - Dallas Orleans
Ia Phornix Brazes
Mezicali Colorado
El Paso San Angelo Austic EPORTED SI HTINCS OF FIYINGOBJECTS
Ciudad Juarez Galveston
As of I August 1948
San Antonio MF
Rio Corpus Chrinti LEED
bihuahua
aredo GULF
Punta Eugenia 6 Disks
California Q Rough cigar Shape
HONTHA TROPIC OF CANCER 4 Ball of Fire
R JAOTUT 4 Cone of Fire
C. Victoria X @ Configuration Undetermined
Durango OOAC

Page 20

APPENDIX II 011
SEIEC.CED REPORTS (I!' FLYnrn OBJECT INCIDENTS

A nunber ot reports on unidentified fly;l.ng objects come trom

observer• fflio, beonuas o! their teobnioal background and experience do

not appear to be infiuenoed by unfounded senaationallam nor ino,linod to
report explahable phena1uma as new types 0£ airborne devices.

Some of

.

the detailB of their reports are presented in this appendix~ slang with

those from posDibly le3s reliable sources who have reported evidence
which is of such a nature that it cannot be entirely ignored.
>

2.

Descriptions ot Bifi'}liticant :inoidente, arranged ohronologically,
,

follow.a

a. During April 1947, two employeea ot tbs wentber Bureau

Statioa at Richmond, Virginia reported aee1ng a stranee metallic diak
cm three ooc&aion• through the "tbeodolite while_. making PIBAL observa­
t.ion••

One observation was at 15,000 feet when a disk waa followed for

15 seconds.

The diak appeared metallic, ■baped 10tt10thing liko an ellip1e

with a flat bottaa and a ro\ll'ld top. It appeared balcnY the balloon and
waa much larger in Bise. The di ■k appeared to be moving rather rapidly,
altboue)l it waa impouaible to eatimate its apsed. The otb!tr obaervationa
""'"' Jllllda at 27,000 t eet :in like manner.
b. The tollorin1 lit0Xlth, Byron B. Savage, a f i eld engl.noer f or
:""Hiii!\rt1. n
,

iWl>oned a diak tlying near hiu homo in
eot no thought to be at an alt itude

eet, and waa novinR toward t he north

feet on a courM of ))0 d•~os,
, Nevada, an .ill' force lieutenant r~
oiroular object , in cloea tormat1on auia_.

t

Yelin at an

etimated •P d of 28S mil•• pol' hour. Thi• ei6ht1ng

occurred on~ June 1947.

Page 21

d.

day a party of thi-ee, t,To of' tliem soicmtinta,

Tll

re motJiAg a

llllr"l!ll~

!ir_Jng gr!>undo a.,

ropor ~ s

12;anto~ a

Q! o
"

....
~ - • " • •Sand, Ile l!exico,'
V-2.~ _,.-:~
lC
9# •

or sphere moVin8 horJ.-

or 10,000 f

t

coo such as mngo.

Th~

an
~

. . . . ¥ ..

r mis ot uni:for::i aQ!ipc Md hld no protru • G o

object r.ns in sight tor about 60 tieconds ooforo i t dis.a.ppJared to the
nortbe.:icrt.

Tho tbro observe1·a acreod on tho dotl1lo of the uightini.;

except that cne thought bO hld aoan vapor trails.
e.

On 7 July 1947, five Portland, Orecc,n police o.fficerc re­

port d vnryinc n\lmb::1•0 o.r dioka flying over dif£cr&nt port:;; o! tho city.

All obs8rvations \T.lre m.,.dc '1i thin a mnute or trro of 1305 houra .
t.

on the Oam!) da1, William Rhonda or Pho nix., Arizona al-

ltJgedly enw a diok ctrolinn his locality .during ounoet

form. Tl»ec photoc;rapho

- mv been •cx1io:trietf'
iJ:llf'!lS nnd do not op~nr to be io

.feotiono in the lenc.

rtect,1on in the

(SaG F1go. 1, 2, 3, and 4.)

ootar AL 'rll">TJMAPHS DY m. ntl )(\n~

:ul.oion or irl~­

Page 22

EMLARCEMETS OF ORIGIIAL PETORAPHS
Fig- 3 Fig. 4
c. On 10 July 1947, Mr, Woodruff, a Pan-Ameriean Airwmys mechante
reported a ciroular object flying at high velooity, paralleling the earth's
surgace and lasving a trail which appeared as a "burning up" of the eloud
formation. The sighting ogeurred near Harmon Field, Newfoundland. Two
other paraons aleo saw hs trail which romnined in the sky for about an
hour and ws photographed by another PAA employes. Ths resulting photo-
graphs support dr. Woodrut's obeurvation as far ae the sy cleavage is
concerned. (Ses Fign. 5 and 6.)

Page 29

h. on 29 July l947, Kemeth Arnold, while flying near Tooomn,
Waahdnghon, roporbod a foramtion of flying objeots. His sketah of thetr
shape correaponds alosaly to that shom in the photographs made by
Mr. Rhoads. on the same day, bwo VaS. Air Fores pilote at landlton
Field reportod two flying diaks trailing a P-80, following it toward
Cakland, califomta,
t. on 4 August 1947, the pllot and e0-pllot of a DC-3, flying
for one al Jones, near Bethol, Alnaka, raported a flying dak larger
than thelr airoraft. This diak orossed thair path at about looo feot
and they turned to give chase. The DC-3 was flying at 17o mph, but the
diek flow out of sigt in four mimutes.
J- on 12 Novembar 1947, two flying diske trailing Jeb-like
streams of fire were reportedly aighited from the bridge of the tanker
Tieonderogs, aocording to the second orfieer. The Ticondoroga wms
20 sdles off the Oregon shore. This officer said the diske were in
si ght 45 seoonds, moving at a speod ertimnted at 700-goo sph, ourving
in a long, low are.
k. On 7 Janury 194s, a Natdonal duard pilot was killed wille
attempting to chase an unidentified object up to 30,ooo feet. whils it
is preeumed that this pilot suffered anocia, remulting in his cranh, his
last meusnge to the tower ws, "it appeurs to bo metallie objectesee of
tremendous aise.ee. dirootly ahend and slightly abovea... I as trying
to close for a better loolc."
L. on 5 April 194s, three trained balloon obworvers from the
ceophyaies Laborstory Seetion, Watson Laboratories, H. J. reported
sesing a round, indistinct object in the Vioinity of Mollnan Air Force
Base, Now Mecieo. It was vory high and fast, and appenred to execute
violent maneuvers at high epeed. The object was under obsorvation for
approxcimately 30 seconds and disappeared suddenly.
6

Page 30

. A yellow or light colored sphere, 25 to 40 feot in diameter
was roported by Lb. Condr. Marous L. Low, Usi, just south of Anagostta
Naval Air Station, Dole, whlls he wae flying on 30 Aprll 194d. It was
moving at a spoed of approximately loo milos par hour at an altitude of
about 45oo fest. Although winds aloft were frm the north-nortiwost,
i ts course ws to the north.
Be On I July l94d, bralve diaks were reparted cver the kapid
Clty Air Buse by Major Hamor. Thase diake wure oval-ghaped, about 100
feot long, flying in excess of an estianted 5o0 mph. Descending from

Text continues in the original file (67 pages).

Same topic: title & summary match

• DOW-UAP-D094 — Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the United States, 1949

Same period: 1948

• DOW-UAP-D097 — Project Sign Progress Report, 1948
• DOW-UAP-D100 — Air Materiel Command Report on Unidentified Flying Objects, 1947-1948
• DOW-UAP-D017 — UAP Reported at Sandia Base, 1948-1950
• General 1948 Vol 1 (National Archives RG 18)
• Records Relating to the Collection and Dissemination of Intelligence 1948-1955-TS CONT No.2 2-5300-2-5399 (National Archives RG 341)

Same release: Release 04

• DOE-UAP-D004 — Los Alamos Conference on Aerial Phenomena, 1949
• NASA-UAP-D030 — STS-80 Unidentified Object Image 1, 1996
• NASA-UAP-D031 — STS-80 Unidentified Object Image 2, 1996
• NASA-UAP-D032 — STS-80 Unidentified Object Image 3, 1996
• DOW-UAP-PR104 — Unresolved UAP Report, Yellow Sea, 2025
• DOW-UAP-PR105 — Unresolved UAP Report, East China Sea, 2025

Same agency: Department of War

• DOW-UAP-D003 — Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, 2020
• DOW-UAP-D004 — Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, 2020
• DOW-UAP-D005 — Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, 2020
• DOW-UAP-D006 — Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, 2020
• DOW-UAP-D007 — Mission Report, Arabian Gulf, 2020
• DOW-UAP-D008 — Mission Report, Djibouti, 2025