Wife of Security Officer Reports "Flat or Disklike" Object
December 5, 1950
Oak Ridge, TN

Bruce Maccabee:
On December 5 and 6 there was a discussion of the technical aspects of the radar sightings with ATIC and intelligence officials.  They concluded that the targets were probably “radar angels” which are reflections of objects on the ground which are observed only because of a temperature inversion which bends the radar radiation downward.  On the other hand, that did not mean that there were no flying saucers around.  At about 12:50 PM, December  5,  the wife of one of the security officers saw an unusual object north of her position, flying apparently over the Post Office building in Oak Ridge.  It appeared to be a couple of miles away and 500 feet above the ground.  It appeared to be made of highly polished aluminum or metal that reflected the sun.  Its shape was round and flat or disklike.  She saw the object for about a minute as it flew in a direct course eastward.  Ten minutes later another lady at a different location observed the same or a similar object heading westward.  The OSI agent who investigated this case learned that there was an east wind at 6 mph and a clear sky.  No balloons had been launched near that time.  He also learned that there were two aircraft airborne at the time, but both were about fourteen miles south of the witnesses.   ATIC subsequently claimed that the witnesses saw an aircraft

Although ATIC would eventually claim that most of these events were mundane (radar anomalies, balloons, aircraft) and leave only two of  the Oak Ridge sightings unidentified, the local military officials and scientists were not so certain of easy identifications.  They planned to begin their own scientific investigation.  Lt. Col. John Hood, the AMC Field Engineering Officer, outlined the plan in a December 5 memorandum entitled “Technical Approaches to the Problems of UFOs.”  He proposed placing radiation counters over a wide area.  After there had been sufficient anomalous object reports to establish a pattern, the data recorded by these counters would then be compared for time and location with the sightings “to see if any change in the background (radiation) occurs with the presence of sighted objects.”  He also proposed that portable counters be made available which could be taken to the area of a sighting.  Along with the counters he proposed that an aircraft with Geiger counters and also a magnetometer be made available.  The magnetometer would indicate any fluctuations in the local magnetic field associated with sightings.  He also proposed more accurate radars capable of measuring height as well as range and azimuth.  This plan was to begin operating near the end of December.

The next anomalous event in the Oak Ridge area was yet another appearance of radar targets which “blanketed the radar scopes in the area directly over the government Atomic energy Commission projects.....these objects could not be identified from the radar image and a perfect fighter interception met with negative results.”

Source: UFO FBI Connection, Maccabee, Pages 179-180