 presents The 1952 Sighting Wave Radar-Visual Sightings Establish UFOs As A Serious Mystery  By Richard Hall (Revised version adapted from the Journal of UFO History for the NICAP web site.) Map of sightings, courtesy of Larry Hatch's *U* Database at http://www.larryhatch.net/YDAY52.html Created Dec 15, 2005,
updated: 25 June 2009
Francis Ridge: This is a 54-page comprehensive and qualitative effort and it will take many months, if not years, to get active links to cases all in place. Sixty additional case links were added on July 7. With the help of William Wise (Project Blue Book Archive), and Dan Wilson (digging out the cases from my checklist), the task was much easier. But without Brad Sparks' Comprehensive Catalog of Project Blue Book Unknowns, the entire project would have been impossible. Sparks also provided several historic entries. And our thanks go to Jean Waskiewicz who created the online NICAP DBase (NSID) that helped make it possible to link from the cases to the reports themselves. Others who provided information are also noted with their contributions. (Items on the Chop clearance list are coded "CCL"). But none of this would be complete without the story behind the wave of 1952, as told by none other than Richard Hall. On March 2, 1950, a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) meeting
focused on establishing goals for a minimum air defense by 1952. The
followoing month at a USAF Commanders Conference at Ramey AFB, Puerto
Rico, planners familiarized commanders with the thinking behind
the plan of minimum defense as welll as with its contents. Referred to
as the Blue Book Plan, it stipulated that a minimum air defense could
be in place by mid-1952. It was estimated that July 1, 1952, as the
critical date when the Soviets would pose a dangerous threat. General
Charles Cabell expected the Soviets to have between 45 and 90 atom
bombs and 70 to 135 Tu-4 bombers (copied B-29s) by that time. Was there
a nuclear connection between this threat and the massive UFO sighting
wave of 1952 and the events over Washington in July?
Richard Hall: The summer 1952 UFO sighting wave was one of the largest of all time, and arguably the most significant of all time in terms of the credible reports and hardcore scientific data obtained. Electromagnetic (EM) effects and physical trace evidence were more prominent in other waves, but 1952 (and 1953) featured recurring radar detection of UFOs, often from both ground and airborne radar, visual sightings by jet interceptor pilots sent up to pursue the mysterious objects, and cat-and-mouse chases in which the UFOs seemed to toy with the interceptors. Further, Air Force investigators who plotted the sightings noticed that they were concentrated around strategic military bases, and this clearly posed a threat to national security since their origin was unknown. Senior generals in the Air Force concluded that UFOs were interplanetary in origin, and broadly hinted this belief in LIFE magazine for April 1952. The 1952 UFO Sighting Chronology 1952; London, Ont., Canada
Astronomer observed elliptical UFO with 2 bright body lights. [UFOE, VI] January, 1952; Weston, Wyoming (BBU)
10:30 p.m. 38-yearold rancher saw a "shooting star"
suddenly stop in mid-air between him and a mountain, spinning
clockwise, with one red window periodically facing the observer, went
down toward the Little Powder River, come up again. He turned his car
to send light signals, object seemed to respond by stopping its red
window to face witness. Spinning resumed, object rose and came down.
Similar object arrived, then both went into the deep valley out of
sight. (Vallée Magonia 88)
Brig.
Gen. William M. Garland, Assistant for the Production of Intelligence,
wrote a memorandum for General Samford with the title (SECRET)
"Contemplated Action to Determine the Nature and Origin of the
Phenomena Connected with the Reports of Unusual Flying Objects."
(Courtesy, Joel Carpenter)
Jan. 9, 1952; Kerrville, Texas
Cat 3. Odd "roaring" interference on radio as UFO circled
town.
Jan. 16, 1952; Artesia, New Mexico (BBU 1037)
A motionless dull-white, round object 5/3 larger than
balloon.
Jan. 20, 1952; Fairchild
AFB,
Wash. (BBU)
Two Air Force master sergeants, intelligence specialists,
reported a bluish-white spherical object with a long blue tail that
flew beneath a solid overcast.
Jan. 21, 1952; Mitchel
AFB, N.Y.
A Navy TBM torpedo bomber pilot chased a dome-shaped circular white object that accelerated and pulled away from him. Jan. 22, 1952; Nenana, Alaska (BBU)
12:20 am.(AHST) Ground radar outpost and three airborne radar sets on F-94 interceptors tracked a distinct unexplainable target. USAF Lt. A. L. B. a CPS-6B radar operator at ADC radar site F-2, Murphy Dome AFS (about 19 miles WNW of Fairbanks), Alaska, tracked an inbound or outbound target at 210° azimuth at about 1,500 to 2,400 mph, and after 10-12 radar sweeps 12 secs each, urgently called twice (at 12:25 and 12:26 a.m.) for interception, and 2 USAF F-94 jets were scrambled [possibly multiple reversals of UFO direction in this time interval]. At 12:52-53 a.m., unidentified target was tracked inbound at 210° azimuth heading N at 45 miles range for about 1 min, first F-94 at 30,000 ft was vectored on 180° heading to attempt intercept at 20 miles projected range of target to radar site, but target reversed course over an 8-mile radius of turn (roughly 5 gs) and headed outbound at 1,500+ mph heading S and away from radar site and F-94. Pilot Lt. C. E. G. and radar observer Capt. V. D. R. on first F-94 tracked two targets, one strong one faint on. F-94 circled for an hour before getting another target at 12 o'clock low, dropped to 25,000 ft with 100-knot closure rate, no visual contact, had to pull up at 200 yards distance to avoid collision, F-94 released to return to base at 2:13 a.m. Pilot Capt. R. time also obtained radar lock on to a target at 12 o'clock high at 17,000 yards range for 2-3 mins. (BB Status Rpt 7; McDonald files; Jan Aldrich; FUFOR Index; cf. Ruppelt) Jan. 22 [21?], 1952; SE of Mitchell AFB, New York (BBU)
9:50 am. (EST). USN TBM3W bomber chased a a white
circular domed-disc which shot away and climbed out of sight. (GRUDGE
Rpt; Project 1947)
Brig. Gen. William M.
Garland, Assistant for
(Intelligence) Production, and his staff at the Directorate of
Intelligence, HQ USAF, were briefed on the status of the Project Grudge
UFO Study. At this meeting Gen. Garland introduced a revolutionary new
intelligence policy and methodology which emphasized
the use of instrumentation for intelligence collection,
including to detect and track UFO's (which would eventually be the
basis for terminating Project BLUE BOOK as an intelligence function,
converting it to a PR psych war propaganda function beginning in July
1952 over a 6-month transition period). As an interim last-chance
measure to prove whether anecdotal sightings had any value, Gen.
Garland approves of Ruppelt's publicity plan to draw in UFO
reports from the public so that triangulations might be obtained, and
this leads to Garland secretly backing the LIFE magazine article (plan
backfires and is blamed for July 1952 flap).
On the same date, Jan. 29, Gen.
Garland gave the welcoming
address to the SECRET compartmented MIT Project BEACON HILL in
Cambridge, Mass., where he gave the marching orders to the assembled
scientists to study ways AF intelligence methodology can be
revolutionized through use of technology. (Later Gen. Garland sent
Ruppelt and Col. Sanford H. Kirkland of ATIC, and Lt. Col. William A.
Adams of AFOIN, to brief BEACON HILL on UFO's on March 26 and in April
1952, respectively). (Credit Joel Carpenter for BEACON HILL.)
(Brad Sparks)
Ruppelt
Discovers AF
Intelligence Has More UFO files
On this trip to the Pentagon to
brief Gen. Garland, Ruppelt visits the
offices of AF Intelligence (AFOIN) having collections of UFO files and
discovers they have more complete files than does ATIC in Dayton, and
he arranges to have copies made of the various missing files made for
him at
Project Grudge at ATIC (though multiple visits were required to obtain
the copies and Ruppelt probably did not succeed in getting everything).
These
AFOIN offices with UFO files include the Technical Capabilities Branch
(TCB) of the Evaluation Division (AFOIN-TCB or AFOIV-TC) and the
Collection
Control Branch of the Collection Division (AFOIN-CC or AFOIC-CC).
(Brad Sparks)
Jan. 29, 1952; Wonsan,
Korea (BBU)
11:00 pm. 30 miles SW of Wonsan, USAF crew of B-29 flying at above 20,000 ft and 148 knots (170 mph) ground speed saw an orange luminous rotating and pulsating 3 ft sphere [or disc?], with blue flame halo, follow the B29 at a distance of about 600 ft at the 8 o'clock position advancing forward to 9 o'clock then falling back to 8 o'clock [at one point almost withdrawing from view then returning?]. (LIFE Incident 9; Project 1947; Loren Gross) Jan. 29-30, 1952; Sunchon,
South
Korea (BBU)
11:24 p.m. USAF crew of B-29 at 20,000 ft and 125 knots (144
mph) ground speed saw an orange sphere follow the B-29 at their level
or slightly below [sunlike in brightness and 600 ft away?]. (LIFE
Incident 9; Project 1947; Loren Gross)
The 1951 directive, "Reporting
Information on
Unidentified Flying Objects", which outlined reporting procedures for
Project Grudge, was inadequate and was to be revised for
Project Blue Book (Pg. 59 of Project Grudge Report No. 3,
31 Jan 1952).
The new one requested that all reports be made by wire to ATIC, ADC,
and V/TC, and that this wire report be followed up by an AF Form 112
direct to ATIC and V/TC. (V/TC = AFOIN or AF Intelligence,
Evaluation Division, Technical Capabilities Branch, which had been
tasked by Gen. Cabell in 1950 to conduct field investigations of UFO
cases independent of AMC/ATIC Project GRUDGE, and which TC Branch now
had Capt. Dewey Fournet assigned) (Francis Ridge)
Feb. 1, 1952; 10 miles W of Terre Haute, Indiana (BBU) 9:30 p.m. Military aircraft pilot saw a close group of
moving lights changing color from blue to green to yellow. (Project
1947; BB files??)
Feb. 2, 1952; E. of Pusan, South Korea (BBU)
10:30 am. Radar track of 767 mph unidentified target.
2nd track from position 35°30' N, 129°40' E, at 10:40 of 1,257
mph unidentified target. (Jan Aldrich)
Feb. 2, 1952; E of South Korea (BBU)
7:35 p.m. USS Philippine Sea heading S 180° at 13 knots
(15 mph) tracked approaching radar target from the N 0° azimuth at
25 miles, veered off in a wide left turn to the E radius about 12 miles
(when visual observers spotted exhaust trails), reversing course on
radar away from the aircraft carrier accelerating from 600 mph to 1800
mph at 52,000 ft altitude, split into 2 targets 5-12 miles apart on a
slightly zigzag wavy course headed due N 0° to disappearance
at about 110 miles. Visual observers sighted 3 exhaust flames at
30° azimuth [?]. (Hynek UFO Rpt pp. 126-8)
Feb. 11, 1952; Pittsburgh,
Penna.
(BBU 1052)
3 a.m. USAF Capt. G. P. Arns and Maj. R. J. Gedson flying a
Beech AT-11 trainer saw a yelloworange comet-shaped object pulsing
flame for 1-2 secs in straight and level flight. (Berliner)
Feb. 12, 1952; Bet.
Friendship
Airfield and
Baltimore, Maryland
(BBU)
9:30 p.m. USAF MATS C-47 pilot and copilot saw a bright
white object move slowly then speed away. Then at 10 p.m. they saw 10
miles S of Baltimore a similar object. (GRUDGE/BB Rpt; FUFOR Index)
Feb. 13, 1952; Granite
City,
Illinois (BBU)
10:30 p.m. The 3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Group observed an
unusual radar return while attempting to score a bomb run. It was
assumed at the time that the "target" was an aircraft pacing the bomber
on its attack run, but the unusual target reached a speed of 1090 MPH.
(McDonald list; BB Rpt 6) adar. (McDonald list; BB Rpt 6)
February 1952, Fournet Becomes
AF Intelligence "Project Monitor"
Maj. Dewey J. J. Fournet in the AF Intelligence (AFOIN) Evaluation
Division's Technical Capabilities Branch (TCB) replaces Lt Col Milton
D. Willis as UFO investigation officer for AFOIN (in the June 1952
reorganization many assets in the Evaluation Division are transferred
to the new Topical Intelligence Division, headed by Col. William A.
Adams, including Fournet who is assigned to the Division's Current
Intelligence Branch, headed by Col. Weldon H. Smith). Fournet
also assigned as "Project Monitor" for ATIC Project Grudge in the wake
of widespread publicity on the Korean UFO sightings. (Brad Sparks)Feb. 16, 1952; About 60 miles E of Pusan, South Korea (BBU)
2:40 and 3:50 p.m. USMC GCI Sq 3 at Yongil (36° N,
129° E) CPS-5 radar tracking of unidentified target traveling at
4,320 knots (5,000 mph). 2nd track at 3:50 at position 36°30' N,
129°30' E (a few miles off the coast of South Korea) of large
target equivalent of 6-8 jet aircraft, traveling 1,380 knots (1,600
mph) target heading 170°, faded momentarily, then continued on
120° heading until lost. Visual sighting of contrail in direction
of radar track. (Jan Aldrich; McDonald files; FUFOR Index)
Feb. 17, 1952; 25 miles SE
of
Roswell, New Mexico (BBU)
1:45 a.m. (MST). USAF crew of B-29 bomber saw 3 ft [?]
greenish-blue ball of fire flying straight at 15,000 ft. (Project 1947)
Col. Ericksen, , Chief of the Technical
Capabilities Branch, received this letter from: Albert E. Lombard, Jr.
Chief, Research Division, Directorate of
Research and Development. Re: Declassification of Project TWINKLE
denied because Green Fireballs considered man-made.
.
Feb. 20, 1952; Greenfield, Mass.
Congregational Minister saw three very bright silver objects, apparently spherical, traveling in a perfect V. [VII) Feb. 20, 1952; Mt.
Diablo,
Calif. (BBU)
11:30 p.m. USAF pilot Montgomery and copilot of B-25 bomber
saw bright yellow light on collision course climb and accelerate.
(Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
Feb. 21, 1952; Sen. Russell
letter to SAF
Washington, D.C.
Sen.
Richard B. Russell, Armed
Services Committee, letter to Secretary of Air Force requesting an
official report on recent UFO sightings by combat airmen in the Far
East.Feb. 23 [24?], 1952;
Sinuiju
[Antung?], North Korea (BBU 1061)
10:15 [11:15?] p.m. USAF 345th Bomber Sq Captain/B-29
navigator saw a bluish cylinder, 3x long as wide, with a tail and rapid
pulsations, come in high and fast, make several turns and level out
under B-29 which was evading mild antiaircraft fire. (Berliner; FUFOR
Index)
Feb. 26, 1952; New
Albany,
New York (CIRVIS Report)
UFO over aircraft near New Albany probably a meteor.
Feb. 27, 1952; Ft. Stockton, Texas (BBU)
March 3, 1952- Dr. Walther
Riedel Convinced
Formerly a German rocket
scientist at Peenemunde, said: "I'm convinced saucers have an
out-of-world basis." (Life Magazine, Apr. 7, 1952 issue)March 4, 1952; 15 miles
W of
Ashiya AFB, Japan (BBU)
10:35 a.m. USAF C-54 crew with 53rd Troop Carrier Sq saw a
bright orange oval object at 10,000 ft. (Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
March 7, 1952; Bet. Claremore and Tulsa, Okla.(BBU)
1 a.m. USAF copilot of C-54 transport saw a bright light
pass from right to left, lose altitude and blink out 3 times. (Project
1947; FUFOR Index)
March 10, 1952; Oakland, Calif.
An engineering metals inspector watched two dark wing (or
hemisphere) shaped objects pass overhead, swaying back and forth like
a pendulum. (NICAP report.)
March 14, 1952; near Hawaii Navy Secretary Dan Kimball was flying to Hawaii when two disc-shaped craft streaked in toward his Navy executive plane. "Their speed was amazing," he told Keyhoe later, in Washington. "My pilots estimated it between fifteen hundred and two thousand miles an hour. The objects circled us twice and then took off, heading east." Note that Adm Arthur Radford was a witness in a second plane. (Sparks: McDonald pinned down the date of the Kimball sighting to March 14.) March 15, 1952; Sandia
Mtns.
[Kirtland AFB?], New Mexico (BBU)
4:30 p.m. (MST). (McDonald list; BB Rpt 7)
Mid-March
1952, AF Initiates TOP SECRET UFO Project
AF Intelligence (AFOIN) Assistant
for (Intelligence) Production Brig. Gen. William M. Garland initiates a
TOP SECRET compartmented project (to be designed and built by AF
R&D) to establish a global instrumented UFO detection and tracking
system that would obviate the need for non-technical anecdotal UFO
sighting reports, eventually resulting in approval of an official AF
policy to deemphasize or reject anecdotal UFO reports (July 28,
1952). (Brad Sparks)
Ruppelt: "I briefed General Benjamin W. Chidlaw,
then the Commanding General of the Air Defense Command, and his staff,
telling them about our plan. They agreed with it in principle and
suggested that I work out the details with the Director of Intelligence
for the ADC, Brigadier W. M. Burgess. General Burgess designated Major
Verne Sadowski of his staff to be the ADC liaison officer with New
Grudge."
March 20, 1952; Centreville, Maryland. (BBU 1074) 10:42 p.m. WW1/WW2 veteran A. D. Hutchinson and son saw a
dull orange-yellow saucer-shaped light fly straight and level very
fast. (Berliner) (This link/version may or may not be the right case,
but appears to be).
March 23 [22?], 1952; 20
miles S
of Yakima,
Wash. (BBU 1076)
6:56 and 7 [6:05? 6:33?] p.m. USAF pilot and radar operator
of F-94 jet interceptor made 2 sightings of a stationary red fireball
that increased in brightness then faded over 45 secs. Note: Project
Blue Book Status Report #7 (May 31, 1952) says target was also tracked
by ground radar at 78 knots (90 mph) at 22,500 ft and 25,000 ft
altitude. (Berliner)
March 24, 1952; 60 miles
W of
Pt. Conception, Calif. (BBU 1077)
8:45 a.m. [p.m.?] B-29 navigator and radar operator tracked
unidentified target on airborne radar at about 3,000 mph. (Berliner;
Shough)
March 25, 1952. Project BLUE
BOOK Named
Grudge was
upgraded to a separate
organization, the Aerial Phenomena Group, and the name was changed to
Project Blue Book. According to Ruppelt this change was made because of
the steadily increasing number of reports we [the Air Force] were
receiving. (Ruppelt, p. 131.)March 26 [?], 1952; Ft. Stockton,
Texas
(BBU 1079)
2:10 am. SW of Pecos, NW of Stockton, Texas and
Arizona [8:30 and 10:13 p.m. ?] USAF pilots of 4 B-50D's
[McClelland and 3 others] saw red and green running lights moving at
high speed. 2nd sighting over Arizona at 10:13? Airborne radar scope
photo. (Berliner; cf. Weinstein; FUFOR Index)
March 26, 1952; Long Beach, California
Cat 3. Two yellowish discs passed by slowly, "as they passed
the radio was agitated twice".
March 26, 1952, Ruppelt and Col.
Kirkland Brief BEACON HILL
Gen. Garland sends ATIC Technical Anaysis Division Chief, Col. Sanford
H. Kirkland, and Project Blue Book Chief, Lt. Edward J. Ruppelt, to
brief MIT's Project BEACON HILL on UFO's. (Brad Sparks)March 29, 1952; 20 miles N of
Misawa AFB,
Japan (BBU 1082)
11:20 a.m. Lt. David C. Brigham, pilot of AT-6 trainer, saw
a small, very thin, shiny metallic disc fly alongside the AT-6, then
make a pass at an F-84 jet fighter, flip on edge, flutter 20 ft from
the F-84's fuselage and flip in the slipstream. (Berliner; FUFOR Index)
March 29, 1952; Butler, Missouri
Chairman of Industrial Commission of Missouri saw cylinder-shaped, silver UFO, [UFOE, VII] March 29, 1952; Elizabethville, Belgian Congo. (BBU)
Two fiery discs were seen over uranium mines gliding in
curves, changing orientation many times thus appearing as plates, ovals
and lines. Discs suddenly hovered then took off in a zigzag to the NE.
Commander Pierre of Elizabethville airfield took off in a fighter
aircraft in pursuit and came within 120 meters (400 ft) of one disc.
(McDonald files; Jan Aldrich)
March 29 [April 24?],
1952; Glen Burnie, Maryland. (BBU)
10:45 p.m. Donald F. Stewart [Steward?] and George Tyler III
saw 50 ft flat silver disc with cupola/dome to one side, a porthole and
hatch on the dome, neon-like lighting around the edges [strangely
pulsating?], approaching car from ahead to the NE about 60°
elevation, then hovered and "wavered slightly" for 3 [2?] mins several
hundred feet off the ground, whirring sound like a vacuum cleaner, car
engine died while object hovered. Witness got out of car with Thompson
submachine gun considering whether to shoot the disc, companion urged
him not to. Object suddenly turned up on edge seeming to "roll across
the sky" faster than a jet to the SW disappearing about 3-1/2 miles
away. Witness claimed car wires "magnetized" and paint cracked. Secy.
AF Finletter interest, AFOSI investigation. Hoax? (Hynek UFO Rpt pp.
196-8; Jan Aldrich; FUFOR Index; Loren Gross Jan-May 52 pg. 25)
"Have You Heard", by Bill Schofield. This
was a bargain day in the flying saucer
department, and you get two stories for the price of one -- the first
from a resident of western Massachusetts and the second from Navy Sec. Dan Kimball.
ADC in
near frenzied state
By the spring
of 1952, Air Defense Command was in a near-frenzied state over the
potential of a Soviet sneak attack. Its eyes and ears, the Lashup radar
network and the GOC, had proven discouragingly unreliable, and, lacking
credible intelligence on Soviet capabilities and intentions, it had no
real basis for assessing the nature of the threat. (see report linked
above). Little more than two weeks later, the worst possibility seemed
to have come true. (See April 17)
April 2, 1952; Lake Meade,
Nevada
9:00 am. While on a fishing trip to Lake Meade with his wife
and a friend, a man observed a UFO. It was silver in color, very large
and at a tremendous altitude. It was described as a B-36 without wings.
Not a BB unknown.
April 2, 1952, Ruppelt &
Col. Kirkland Brief CSI-Los Angeles
On the eve of the release of the bombshell LIFE magazine article,
Ruppelt and his boss, ATIC Technical Analysis Division Chief Col.
Sanford H. Kirkland, give an extraordinary briefing, technically
unclassified but in fact quasi-classified, to a group of aerospace
engineers organized as Civilian Saucer Investigations, in Los Angeles,
along with LIFE magazine reporters who give them advance copies of the
article in exchange. (See
extremely rare and revealing Transcript
obtained by Project 1947.) (Brad Sparks)April 3, 1952; Marana,
Arizona.
(BBU)
8:15 [8:23-9:15? MST] a.m. Pilot of T-6 aircraft and 6
pilots on ground saw a bright aluminum shiny oblong object above 54,000
ft. 52-minutes. (Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
April 4, 1952, Ruppelt Briefs
Rand Corp. Satellite Project
Gen. Garland arranges for the AF-Rand Corp. Satellite Project to
receive a UFO briefing from Ruppelt on a visit to ATIC. Ruppelt
meets and befriends Rand satellite engineer Jim Thompson. (Brad Sparks)April 4, 1952;
Duncanville,
Texas (BBU 1095)
8:30 p.m. (CST) USAF Cpl. Billy D. Greer and PFC John
W. Harrington of the Radar Maintenance Section, 147th AC&W
Squadron, tracked unidentified target by FPS-10 radar first to the NW
at 310°-315° azimuth at about 70 nautical miles (80 miles)
moving at high speed of about 2,160 knots (2,500 mph) until it
disappeared off the scope at maximum range of 260 n.mi. (300
miles). Height-finder reading not taken, estimated at 42,000+ ft
due to radar beam coverage at max range. (Jan Aldrich;
FUFOR Index)
April 5, 1952; Phoenix
[Glendale?], Arizona (BBU 1096)
10:40 a.m. Mr. and Mrs. L. G. Ryan, R. L.. Stokes, and D.
Schook saw a large, dull grey circular object, followed by 2 more, fly
straight and level at high speed. (Berliner)
April 5, 1952; Miami,
Florida (BBU
1097)
9:15 p.m. L. E. VanDercar and 9 year old son saw 4
dark circular objects with mostly fuzzy edges, cross the face of the
Moon [in the S at 175° azimuth 77° elevation, 83% illuminated
or almost full], each 1/2 the angular size of Moon. (Berliner)
April 6, 1952; Temple,
Texas
[Miller-Graughan AFB?]. (BBU 1099)
2:59 p.m. H. L. Russell saw 50-75 greywhite discs
change position within formation continually, tilting in unison every
12-15 secs. (Berliner)
When newsmen began asking him whether the article was Air
Force inspired, Ruppelt replied that they had furnished Life with some
raw data. My answer was purposely weasel worded, he said, because I
knew that the Air Force had unofficially inspired the Life article...
[and also knew that the strongly implied answer that UFOs were
interplanetary] was the personal opinion of several very high-ranking
officers in the Pentagon - so high that their personal opinion was
almost policy. (Ruppelt, p. 132.)
April 8, 1952; Nr. Big Pines, Calif.
Disc-like UFO observed by TV network engineer. [UFOE, VI] April 9, 1952; Bet. Shreveport and Barksdale AFB, Louisiana (BBU) 2:30 p.m. (CST). USAF C-46 crew [pilot and copilot] flying E
at 90° heading at 9,000 ft saw a 30-40 ft cream color disc-shaped
object ahead of the plane at about 4,000 ft, object reversed course
heading E [but was overtaken by C-46 and passed under it ??], C-46 and
object both [?] made 360° turns, object climbing into clouds at
12,000 ft at 200400 mph. Similar sighting at 2:45 p.m. by another
C-46 5-6 miles N of Barksdale AFB of an object disappearing on a N
heading at 11,000 ft. (BB Status Rpt 6; cf. NARCAP)
April 9-10, 1952; 6 miles W of Pecos [near Lackland AFB?],Texas(BBU) 10:40 p.m. (CST). Bethune. (Hynek UFO Rpt p. 43; FUFOR Index)
April 12, 1952; North Bay
CFS,
Ontario, Canada (BBU 1108)
9:30 p.m. RCAF Warrant Officer E. H. Rossell, Flight Sgt. R.
McRae saw a round amber object fly fast, stop, reverse direction, climb
away at 30° angle. (Berliner)
April 13 [12?], 1952;
Moriarty
AFS, New Mexico (BBU)
4:45 p.m. (MST). 4 USAF airmen saw silver disc-shaped object
to the E traveling very erratically at high speed, then dove. [CPS-5
radar tracking?] (McDonald files; Jan Aldrich; BB Rpt 6; FUFOR Index)
April 14, 1952; La Cross,
Wisconsin CIRVIS Report (BBU)
12:35 p.m. Unidentified CAL (Central Air Lines) pilot saw
several light colored objects fly in V-formation. (Berliner) Objects
sighted from ground, tremendous speed.
April 14, 1952; Memphis,
Tennessee
(BBU 1112)
6:34 p.m. U.S. Navy pilots Lt. jg. Blacky, Lt. jg. O'Neil
flying on 18° (about NNE) heading at 2,000 ft over NAS Range
Station saw to their left an inverted bowl glowing bright red, 3 ft
long and 1 ft high, with vertical slots, approaching at high speed on
300° heading, straight and level at 2,000 ft, passing 300 ft from
their aircraft and below overcast at 4,200 ft. [Red glowing trail?]
(Berliner; McDonald files; Jan Aldrich; cf. NARCAP)
April 15, 1952; Santa
Cruz,
California (BBU 1115)
7:40 p.m. Mr. Hayes, brother of Master Sgt., saw 2 faint
objects flying fast along the horizon through 20x spotting telescope.
(Berliner)
April 16, 1952; Shreveport, Louisiana (BBU) 9:28 p.m. (CST). Senior USAF pilot Capt. E. Maths [Mathis?
Matthis?]. Course reversing light. 70-secs. (Willy Smith pp. 25-29;
FUFOR Index)
April 17, 1952; Nellis AFB, Nevada Large group of circular UFOs. [UFOE, III] April 17 [18?], 1952; Yuma Test Station, Arizona (BBU 1127) 3:05 p.m. (MST). Group of Army weather observation students,
including several graduate engineers saw a flat-white, circular object
flew with an irregular trajectory and a brief trail. (Berliner)
On April 17, Air Force
Intelligence warned Col Burgess, at ADC
Headquarters, Ent AFB, that a classified source (possibly an electronic
intercept) had provided an "indication" of ominous Soviet military
activity.
April 17, 1952; Alaska / Atlantic 7:00 PM. Nationwide Air Defense alert triggered by vapor trails and radar detections indicated a possible Soviet attack. (Jan Aldrich) April 17 [13?], 1952; Longmeadow, Mass. (BBU 1124) 8:30 p.m. S. B. Brooks and chemical engineer J. A. Eaton saw
a round, deep orange object fly fast and erratic, occasionally emitting
a shaft of light to the rear. (Berliner)
April 18, 1952; Bethesda, Maryland (BBU 1128) 11:30 [1:30?] a.m. (EST). R. Poerstal [Parstel?], Mrage,
Watkins and another man [Young?] saw 7-9 circular, orange-yellow lights
in a 40° V-formation fly overhead silently from S to N. (Berliner;
FUFOR Index)
April 18, 1952; Corner Brook,
Newfoundland, Canada (BBU 1129)
4 [3:30?] a.m. Janitor C. Hamilton saw a yellow-gold object
make a sharp turn, leaving a short, dark trail. (Berliner; FUFOR Index)
April 18, 1952; Corner Brook,
Newfoundland, Canada (BBU 1131)
10:10 [9:40?] p.m.
Reporter Chic Shave saw a round,
yellow-gold
object fly S then return. (Berliner; FUFOR Index)
12:07 p.m. [9:07 p.m.?]
A radar operator tracked
unidentified target at 2,700 [2,100?] mph. (Berliner; UFOR Index) (Chop
clearance list shows this as April 19. A
T-6 pilot, Lt. D.C. Brigham, reported to ATIC the sighting of a small
disc shaped object closing in on a fighter, maneuvering around it.)
April 20, 1952; [Flint,
Mich.? ] (BBU) April 22, 1952; Naha AFB, Okinawa. (BBU 1144) 9 p.m. Crew of B-29
bomber, on ground saw an elliptical
object, followed by 2 then another 2, each with a white light that
blinked every 1-2 secs as they performed erratic maneuvers. (Berliner)
April 24, 1952; Bellevue Hill, Vermont (BBU 1147) 5 a.m. Crew of USAF
C-124 transport plane saw 3 circular,
bluish objects in loose fingertip formation, 2 flying parallel to the
plane. (Berliner; Project 1947)
April 24, 1952; Great
Blue Hill near Milton, Mass. (BBU 1148)
2:30 p.m. (EST) AF
Cambridge Research Center, Radar Systems
Lsb, Electronics Research Div, electronics engineers, Alfred P. Furnish
and Herbert J. Brun, and MIT electrical engineering senior Joseph Page,
were in an observation tower on top of Great Blue Hill saw to the NW 2
very thin flat, dull reddish orange squarish objects with no corners or
ovals pulled in at the waist about 10-15 ft wide, with a lip around
outer edges, fly wobbly in consistently undulating "swooping" motion in
horizontal flight at about 2,000 ft altitude. Objects then climbed
about 15° elevation at an estimated 240 mph, then flew away and
disappeared due to distance. No trail or exhaust, no sound, visibility
70+ miles. [Unclear whether observers used 6x aircraft tracking
telescope.] (Berliner; FUFOR Index; Loren Gross Jan-May 1952
April 24, 1952; Clovis,
New Mexico (BBU 1151)
8:10 p.m. USAF Flight
Surgeon Maj. E. L. Ellis saw many
orange-amber lights, sometimes separate, sometimes fused, behave
erratically, varying speed from motionless to very fast. (Berliner;
FUFOR Index)
April 24, 1952;
Colorado
Springs, Colorado
10:15 pm. MST. Civilian
report in BB files but not a BBU.
Project 10073 Record Card: "Dark (object) with luminous glow, swept
wing, no fuselage. Straight and level maneuvers. Possibly conventional
a/c except for the absence of sound. If object was large and report
indicates it was, an a/c could be heard...Disappeared behind roof line.
Viewed through bare tree branches - no sound. 10 times larger than jet
a/c."
April 25, 1952; Rheim-Main
AFB,
[Darmstadt ?], West Germany
(BBU)
9:20 [9:15?] p.m. 2 USAF
C-47 pilots [Wisnieski ?] had
near-collision with white circular object heading NW. (Weinstein; Jan
Aldrich; FUFOR Index).
April 25, 1952; San Jose,
California
Cat 2. Scientists close
encounter with small daylight disc.
April 27, 1952. 1952; Roseville, Mich. (BBU 1160) 4:15 p.m. H. A.
Freytag [Freitag?] and 3 male
relatives, including a minister, saw an silver oval roll, descend and
stop. 2 silver cigar-shaped objects appeared, one departing to the E,
one to the W; 3rd silver cigar flew by at high speed. (Berliner; FUFOR
Index)
April 27, 1952, Pontiac, Michigan 11:06 pm. Witness
observed an object approximately 200 feet
in diameter and approximately 200 feet off the ground. This one is
labeled insufficient data for evaluation by Project Blue Book.
April 27, 1952; Yuma, Ariz. (BBU 1163) 8:30 p.m. Off-duty
control tower operator M/Sgt. G. S.
Porter and wife saw a bright red or flame-colored discs, appearing as
large as fighter planes; 7 sightings of one disc, one of 2 in
formation. All seen below 11,000 ft overcast. (Berliner)
April 27, 1952;
Birmingham (NW of Detroit), Mich.
10:45-11:15 [10:06?]
p.m. Family of 4 of Mr. [John ?]
Hoffman in a car saw a brilliant white round-flat object with 2 tiers
of windows descend from the NE, hover with rocking motion at about
15° elevation, stop and start at 100 mph drifting to NW. Witnesses
pursued in car, lights went off and on 4 times changed color to
whiteorange, got 4 other witnesses, called police, Detroit Times
newspaper and Selfridge AFB. Object disappeared over treetops to NW.
[Same witness(es) as in May 25, June 18, 1952, cases??] (Hynek UFO Rpt
pp. 70-73; FUFOR Index)
April 28, 1952; Homewood,
Illinois
5:00 pm. Two civilian
witnesses reported to the Air Force
that an object in the SE that resembled a white parachute was
apparently circling a large airplane for about three minutes. Not
listed in BB unknowns or Sparks CCPBBU.
Ruppelt:
The
number of
reports did take a sharp rise a few days later, however.
The cause was the distribution of an order that completed the
transformation of the UFO from a bastard son to the family heir. The
piece of paper that made Project Blue Book legitimate was Air Force
Letter 200-5, Subject: Unidentified Flying Objects. The letter, which
was duly signed and sealed by the Secretary of the Air Force, in
essence stated that UFO's were not a joke, that the Air Force was
making a serious study of the problem, and that Project Blue Book was
responsible for the study. The letter stated that the commander of
every Air Force installation was responsible for forwarding all UFO
reports to ATIC by wire, with a copy to the Pentagon. Then a more
detailed report would be sent by airmail. Most important of all, it
gave Project Blue Book the authority to directly contact any Air Force
unit in the United States without going through any chain of command.
This was almost unheard of in the Air Force and gave our project a lot
of prestige.
April 29, 1952; Marshall,
Texas (BBU 1167)
3:30 p.m. (CST).
Private
pilot R. R. Weidman [Weedsman?] saw
a round, white object fly straight, with a side-to-side oscillation.
(Berliner; FUFOR Index)
April 29 [28?], 1952; N of Goodland, Kansas (BBU 1168) 10 p.m. (CST). B-29
bombardier Lt. R. H. Bauer saw a white
fan-shaped light pulsing 3-4 times per second. (Berliner; Project 1947)
Bruce
Maccabee:
Ruppelt's claim that at least some high level officers actually believed saucers were interplanetary is confirmed in an indirect way in a memorandum written on April 29, 1952. This document was written to justify a trip to Europe by Dr. Stephen Possony and Lt. Col. Sterling, both members of a special study group that had been organized to study "advanced delivery systems," April 30, 1952;
Moriarty
AFS, New Mexico (BBU)
7:40 and 7:46 a.m.
(MST). CPS-5 radar tracking of 4,000 mph
first target at 230° azimuth (about SW) at 149 miles range moving
11 miles per 10-sec sweep for 4 sweeps heading into the radar site. 2nd
track at 7:46 a.m. of 4,000 mph target at 280° azimuth (about W) at
140 miles moving 11 miles per 10-sec sweep for 6 sweeps [toward the
radar] until disappearing at about 70 miles range. (McDonald files; Jan
Aldrich; FUFOR Index)
Ruppelt:
In May 1952, Project Blue Book received 79 UFO reports compared to 99 in April. It looked as if we'd passed the peak and were now on the downhill side. The 178 reports of the past two months...had piled up a sizable backlog....During June we planned to clear out the backlog, and then we could relax. But never underestimate the power of a UFO. In June the big flap hit....- Capt. Edward J. Ruppelt, (Ruppelt, pp. 138-39.) May 1, 1952; Moses Lake,
Washington
(BBU 1174)
0532 PST, Civilian AEC
employees observed a slow moving
wingless silver object at 5,000 feet altitude in the Hanford area.
Sighting lasted 1 1/2 minutes.
May
1, 1952;
Davis-Monthan
AFB, Tucson, Ariz. (BBU)
9:10 am. Two shiny discs overtook a B-36 bomber as it passed over Davis-Monthan AFB in the morning, slowed and positioned themselves near the plane. One moved close alongside and was observed from the waist blister by the crew members. Witnesses on the ground also saw the objects, which were about 20-25 feet in diameter. After several minutes the objects departed at extremely high speed in a southerly direction. May 1, 1952; George AFB and Apple Valley, California (BBU 1176) 10:50 a.m. (PDT?). 3 men on the arms range, plus Lt. Col. Lyle Albert Silvernail 4 miles away in Apple Valley saw 5 flat-white discs about the diameter of a C-47's wingspan [95 ft] or length of P-51 [32 ft] fly fast about 1,000 mph at about 4,000 ft height, make a 90° turn in a formation of 3 in front and 2 behind, and dart around. Silvernail reported the sighting and was told radar was tracking the object(s) and fighters were being scrambled. Note: Recent informations suggests Silvernail confirmed a radar track. See link above. (Berliner; NICAP) 15-30 secs 5+ witnesses 2 Full Moons ? RV? May 5, 1952; Tenafly, New Jersey (BBU 1183) 10:45 p.m. Mrs. M. M. Judson saw 6-7 translucent, cream-yellow objects, one moved in an ellipse, others moved in and out. (Berliner) The objects were observed for approximately 4 to 5 minutes. May 10, 1952; Paphos, SW Cyprus (BBU) 8:30 p.m. British scientist and others saw a luminous circular object rise from sea level, waver back and forth for an interval before fading from sight directly overhead. (Jan Aldrich) May 7, Keesler AFB, Mississippi (BBU 1185) 12:15 p.m. (CST).
Capt.
Morris, a Master Sergeant, a Staff
Sergeant, and an Airman First Class saw an aluminum or silver
cylindrical object dart in and out of the clouds 10 times. (Berliner)
May
7, Barra da Tijuca, Brazil
Questionable UFO
photos.
May 8, 1952; Atlantic, 600 miles E of Jacksonville, Florida (BBU) 2:27 a.m. (EST?) Pilot
Capt. Cent and copilot 1st Ofcr
Gallagher of Pan Am Flight 203 flying DC-4 airliner at 8,000 ft on
180° heading from NYC to San Juan, Puerto Rico, saw brilliant white
approaching from the left below the solid overcast at 10,000 ft. and
streak by the left [?] wing at 1/8 to 1/4 mile, followed by 2 smaller
orange balls of fire. (NARCAP; McDonald list; Project 1947; Ruppelt pp.
133-4)
Ruppelt:
May 8, Washington, D.C. Secretary of the Air Force Thomas K. Finletter was briefed for an hour about the Project Blue Book UFO study. He listened intently and asked several questions about specific sightings when the briefing was finished. (Ruppelt, p. 138.) May 9, 1952; George
AFB,
Calif. (BBU 1194)
10:30 a.m. 2 USAF F-86
pilots (Crown and another) in the air
and a witness on the ground saw a round silver object. (Berliner; FUFOR
Index)
May 10, 1952; Albuquerque,
New
Mexico (BBU)
2 [3?] p.m. (MST).
USAF
Lt. Col. M. G. B. and wife in the
yard of their home saw 2 silvery disc-shaped objects one after the
other moving SW to NE at above 20,000 ft, first object seeming to waver
on axis or "flop over," 2nd object followed similar path but at higher
altitude. Officer alerted radar station but unable to track object(s).
(McDonald files; Jan Aldrich; FUFOR Index)
May 10, 1952; Paphos, SW Cyprus (BBU)
8:30 p.m. British scientist and others saw a luminous circular object rise from sea level, waver back and forth for an interval before fading from sight directly overhead. (Jan Aldrich) May 10, 1952; Ellenton,
S.C.
(BBU 1198)
10:45 pm. Employees
of
DuPont Corporation at the Savannah
River Plant, Atomic Energy Commission, saw four disc-shaped
objects approach, then two other discs pass high overhead from
different directions. They were luminous yellow-gold color,
traveling at a high rate of speed. One disc approached at such a low
altitude that it had to rise up to pass over some tall tanks at
the facility. One witness reported that the objects were weaving
from left to right while continuing on a steady course. (FBI report.)
The investigation
of the Glen
Burnie, Maryland, sighting was
requested by Col. Cook for General Ackerman and was to be given top
priority. (See March 29)
May 11, 1952; George AFB, Calif. (BBU) Grendilund.
(McDonald
list; FUFOR Index)
May 12, 1952; 40 mi. west of Roswell, NM
9:45 PM UST. Restricted document shows an unidentified flying object was sighted at 2145 hours UST. The object was blue-green in color and its estimated altitude above the terrain was 30,000 to 40,000 feet. The object traveled three times over approximately the same triangular course. Rate of speed could not be precisely estimated but was faster than that of jet aircraft. Intensity of color brightness varied with the objects altitude. (AF Form 112, Fran Ridge) May 13, 1952; National City, California 8:55 p.m. PDT. A meteor-like object was seen descending over the San Diego Bay area flying in a curving path to the northwest. Later the same or similar object was seen flying nearly the opposite course over the Bay Area. May 13, 1952; Greenville, So. Carolina (BBU) Chop Clearance List Item # 15.
10:33
p.m. (EST).
Richardson and 3 other amateur astronomers
set up telescopes at dark area of Furman University when they saw a
diamond formation of 4 oval reddish-yellow or reddish-brown luminous
objects nearly overhead and disappeared after 3 secs motion through
12° arc [or at 12° elevation?]. Apparent size of half dollar at
arms length, 1/4 turned and wobbling in flight. (BB Status Rpt; FUFOR
Index) (Incorrectly listed on Chop Clearance as May 18, 1952).
May
14, 1952; George
AFB, Calif. (BBU)
1:05
p.m. (PST). [Same
as May 13?] (McDonald list; FUFOR
Index)
May 14, 1952;
Mayaquez,
Puerto Rico
(BBU 1213)
7
p.m. Attorney and
ex-USAF pilot Mr. Stipes and Sr.
GarciaMendez saw 2 shining orange spheres: one was stationary,
while the other darted away and back for 30 mins. (Berliner)
May
15, 1952; S of Changsong-ni and
N of
Nangnim
Mountain, North Korea (BBU)
11
a.m. USAF Lt.
McCarthy and another pilot flying two F-86E
jets, 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, 25th FI Sq, at 30,000 ft, airspeed
500 knots, on 280° heading. Sighted a silvery ovalshaped
object larger than a MiG jet airplane at 9 o'clock position below, to
the S, at estimated altitude of 8,000-10,000 ft, about 1,200-1,500 mph,
and about 20 miles away. Object on S to N straight flight path in a
"rolling maneuver," disappeared at about 3 o'clock position to N. (Jan
Aldrich)
May 15, 1952; S of Changsong-ni and N of Nangnim Mountain, North Korea (BBU) 6:35 p.m. USAF F-51 fighter pilot of 18th Fighter Bomber Group flying F-51 at 9,000 ft on 180° heading at 240 mph sighted 50 ft diameter silver object at 1 o'clock position moving to 3 o'clock at 1,000 mph at about the same altitude, which then started a steep climb, but at the top of the loop the object resumed a horizontal course (heading 360° or N) wavered momentarily, descended and disappeared into the haze which reached an altitude of about 7,000-8,000 feet. (Jan Aldrich) May 15, 1952; Georgetown, Washington, D.C (BBU)
10:25
p.m. (EST) [9:35?
9:50? p.m. EDT?] USN Lt. H. W.
Taylor and Lt. P. G. R. and two girls saw soft golden glowing oval
object on straight level path heading S moved through 70° arc.
(McDonald files; Jan Aldrich; FUFOR Index)
May
18, 1952;
Greenville, S.C.; Chop [CCL Item #
15].
Four amateur astronomers observed a diamond-shaped formation, oval shaped objects, wobbled in flight. May 19, 1952; 30 miles SW of San Angelo, TX (BBU) 8:05
[7:46?] p.m. (CST).
USAF 31st Strategic Recon Sq pilot
and crew of RB36 flying at 18,000 ft on a 301° heading at 214
mph TAS, Capt. Gerard A. Sharrock, Capt. Jack L. Bailey, Capt. Bernice
O. Bowers, 1st Lt. Constantine G. Kollinzas, 2nd Lt. Norman V. Stewart,
S/Sgt. John J. Fisher, S/Sgt. William O. Warr, A/1c Robert Schick, saw
7 bright white circular or doughnut shaped white contrails, like
lenticular clouds, stacked vertically about 10°-20° elevation
estimated distance 50-75 miles height ranging from 25,000 to 60,000 ft
about 1 mile wide. Sighted through 6x binoculars and photographed in 6
frames with 35 mm camera by Bailey, also seen by radar station ground
observer alerted by radio. Contrails persisted for at least 1520
mins possibly 1 hr. Last seen when RB-36 was at 30°53' N,
101°20' W. (Jan Aldrich)
May
20, 1952; George
AFB, Calif. (BBU)
1:25
p.m. (PST).
(McDonald list; FUFOR Index)
May 20, 1952; Houston, Texas. (BBU 1219) 10:10
p.m. USAF pilots
Capt. J. Spurgin and Capt. B. Stephan
[Steven?] saw a bright or white oval object move from side-to-side
while making a gradual turn. (Berliner;
FUFOR Index)
May
22, 1952; Falls
Church [or Alexandria], Virginia (BBU)
Bet.
1 and 2 a.m. Top
CIA official and several dinner
guests, including a retired general, noticed noiseless red light
approach from W at about 5,000 ft then suddenly climb almost vertically
in the SE, stop, level out for a few secs, go into near vertical dive,
level off, disappear to the E. (Ruppelt pp. 135-6; BB Status Rpt 7; Jan
Aldrich).
May
23, 1952; Kirtland
AFB, Albuquerque, New Mexico (BBU)
4:00-4:45
p.m. (MST).
USAF CO of 135th AC&W Sq ADC radar
site, Lt. Col. Orlando W. Stephenson Jr., and other staff of radar
site, Senior Director Lt. William J. Hopkins, Capt. Clarence R.
Holloway, Lt. Edwin G. Kenyon, Philco radar tech rep John B. Cooper,
and at least one other witness (door guard), saw a silvery or aluminum
color flat on the bottom, slightly rounded on top, the highest part off
center to the left, in the W at 268° azimuth 2° elevation at an
estimated height of about 1,000-3,000 ft at 10-20 miles distance, seen
through transit telescope, 7x 50mm binoculars and possibly theodolite
[?]. Object reflected sunlight at varying irregular intervals of
brightness for 3 secs to 2-3 mins and then dark or invisible for
similar periods, headed to the right descending below the horizon at
271° azimuth about 0° elevation. Radar and 93rd FI Sq F-86D
fighter interception unsuccessful. (Jan Aldrich)
May
24, 1952; Zuni, New
Mexico (BBU)
1:27
a.m. Pilot of TWA
airliner Brass saw 2 reddish
torpedo-shaped objects appear in front of the aircraft. (Project 1947;
FUFOR Index)
May 25, 1952; Tierra Amarillo AFS, New Mexixo 9:58 a.m. An unknown object was detected on radar traveling 1800 mph, at Tierra Amarillo AFS, New Mexico. The object passed directly across the Los Alamos area. (See doc below, 11:30 p.m.) May 25, 1952; Randolph
AFB,
Texas. (BBU)
9:27
p.m. (CST). USAF
navigator in charge of navigation
section of Combat Crew Training School, Capt. J. S. J., his wife, and
pilot Lt. P. H., saw a group of about 12 orange-white tear-drop shaped
lights, points forward, in 3 groups of 4 objects moving from W to E at
high speed 2,000 mph at 10,000 ft at 70° elevation. Heard deep soft
intermittent noise. (McDonald files; Jan Aldrich; cf. Ruppelt p. 140;
FUFOR Index)
May 25, 1952; Walnut Lake, Mich (BBU 1227) 9:15
p.m. John Hoffman,
family, friends [and others?] saw a
large white circular object having dark sections on its rim, fly
straight and level, appearing red when behind a cloud. [Same
witness(es) as in April 27, June 18, 1952, cases??] (Berliner)
May 25, 1952; Los Alamos, New Mexico 11:30 p.m. Radiation was detected. Earlier, at 09:58 hours, an unknown object was detected on radar traveling 1800 mph, at Tierra Amarillo AFS, New Mexico. The object passed directly across the Los Alamos area. May 26, 1952; North Korea
(BBU) 3:20
a.m. (GMT). USAF
pilot and radar observer flying in an
F-94C jet fighter saw and radar tracked a bright white object that
accelerated to high speed, and tracked by ground
radar.
(Weinstein; FUFOR Index)
May
28, 1952; Saigon,
French Indo-China (BBU 1232)
10:30
a.m. Many in crowd
watching a ceremony saw a
white-silver disc-shaped object fly straight and fast. (Berliner)
May 28, 1952; Albuquerque,
New
Mexico (BBU 1233)
1:45-2:40
p.m. (PST).
City fire department employees Romero
and Atterbury saw 2 circular objects, one shiny silver and the other
orange or light brown, 3 times performing fast maneuvers. (Berliner)
May
28, 1952; E of
Albuquerque, New Mexico (BBU 1233b)
8:10
[8:20? 8:40?] p.m.
(MST). USAF crews of 5 B-29 bombers
saw green spherical objects [fireballs?]. (Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
May 29, 1952; Near
the
Florida Keys Updated
version
At
approximately 1700
hours two elliptical in shape objects
larger than a fighter type aircraft were observed from the USN aircraft
carrier Oriskany CV-34. One observer watched the objects through a
telescope. The Radar Officer viewed the objects on the radar scope. The
objects appeared to have a bubble on the top. Each object was leaving a
white vapor trail. The objects' course paralleled that of the carrier.
(Blue Book Microfilm)
May 29, 1952; San Antonio,
Texas
(BBU 1236)
7
p.m. USAF pilot Maj.
D. W. Feuerstein [Weinstein?], on
ground, saw a bright tubular object tilt from horizontal to vertical
for 8 mins, then slowly return to horizontal, again tilt vertically,
accelerate, appear to lengthen and turn red. (Berliner; FUFOR Index)
May 30, 1952; Japan Sea, S of Oshima island, Japan (BBU) 7
p.m. 3 USAF crew
members of C-54 transport plane saw a
round black object first motionless then moving rapidly to the W.
(Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
May
31, 1952; S of Chorwon, South
Korea
(BBU)
3:45-55
a.m. Bright
object to NE fell from about 3,500-3,600
ft to 2,000-2,600 ft height then ascended to 3,000-4,000 ft, headed E
about 1/2 mile with jerky motion, stopped, reversed coursed to NE again
at a speed of about 100-150 mph, reversed again heading E, climbed at
25° angle increasing to 45° angle away in 3-4 secs accelerating
with jerky motion to disappearance. Second guard at different location
Post 6 saw same but also heard "pulsating sound" and saw disc shape.
Duration 2 mins. At about 3:50 a.m. 319th FI Sq F-94 interception of
white-bluish round object on airborne radar for 9 mins at 500 mph at
6,000 ft height heading 90° initially, maneuvering down to 1,000 ft
then up to 28,000 ft. disappearing on 45° heading. (Hynek UFO
Report)
Richard
Hall:
Through the first 5 months of 1952, the Air Force Project Blue Book investigators had noticed a build-up of UFO sightings. Then, according to project chief Capt. Edward J. Ruppelt, In June the big flap hit....The objects displayed intelligent control by circling, maneuvering, reacting to pursuit, and otherwise demonstrating extraordinary capabilities unlike any known technology or natural phenomenon, such as sharp turns, rapid vertical motions, and sudden reversals of direction. Radar repeatedly confirmed the presence of unidentified solid objects. Ruppelt: ......the
Air Force
was taking UFOs seriously because a lot of good reports were coming in
from Korea. Pilots were seeing silvery discs and spheres, and radar in
Japan, Korea, and Okinawa all had tracked unidentified targets.
(Ruppelt, p. 192.)
NARA-PBB1-53
- June 1-14 Sightings
NARA-PBB1-54 - June 15-22 Sightings NARA-PBB1-55 - June 23-30 Sightings June,
1952; Tombstone,
Arizona
Cat
11. Williams case (M)
June
1952 CIA Prepares Secret UFO Report
In
the wake of mass public and
governmental interest in UFO's kindled by the provocative LIFE magazine
article, CIA intelligence experts Sidney N. Graybeal (Chief, Guided
Missiles Branch, Weapons & Equipment Division, Office of Scientific
Intelligence OSI) and Irl D'Arcy Brent (Chief, Ground Branch, W&E
Division, OSI) prepare a summary of the UFO subject for the CIA/OSI
hierarchy based on the past several years of OSI intelligence (and OSI
predecessor documents going back to ghost rockets of 1946) and
mentioning sightings go back to the Bible. Possibility of swamp
gas in Michigan as an explanation for UFO's is suggested by Brent
(foreshadowing the Hynek swamp-gas fiasco in Michigan in 1966).
(Report has never been acknowledged or released by the CIA despite FOIA
litigation. Report's existence and contents was revealed in
Sparks interviews with Brent and Graybeal and other OSI officials in
1975-6.) (Brad Sparks)
June
1, 1952; Los
Angeles, Calif.
At
Hughes Aircraft
Company, a crew of test section radar
technicians were tracking what they thought was an airliner, when it
suddenly climbed rapidly to 55,000 feet, leveled off and sped
away.
June
1, 1952; Walla
Walla, Washington (BBU 1245)
1
p.m. Ex-military pilot
Reserve Maj. W. C. Vollendorf saw
an oval object with a "definite airfoil" perform a fast climb.
(Berliner)
June 1, 1952; Soap Lake, Washington (BBU 1246) 3
p.m. [+-?] Ray Lottman
saw 3 glimmering objects fly
straight and level. (Berliner)
June
1, 1952; Rapid
City, South Dakota (BBU 1243)
6
p.m. USAF A/1c Beatty
and two civilians. At least 5 long
silver objects flew in a neat box formation with a leader. (Berliner)
June
2, 1952; Bayview,
Washington (BBU 1249)
5:02
p.m. Larry McWade
saw a purple object for unknown
length of time. No further information in files. (Berliner)
June 2, 1952. Fulda, West Germany (BBU 1250) Time
unknown. 1st Lt.
John Hendry, photo-navigator on an
RB-26C recon bomber, saw a porcelain-white object fly very fast for an
unknown length of time. (Berliner)
June
4, 1952; Stuttgart,
West Germany (BBU)
7:30
p.m. USAF pilot and
copilot of C-47 transport saw a
circular object with white lights on the leading edge. (Weinstein)
June
5, 1952; Lubbock,
Texas (BBU 1255)
11
p.m. Dan Benson and
Mr. Bacon saw a total of 8 yellow
circular objects, like large stars, the first 2 in a trail formation,
the others seen singly. (Berliner)
June
5, 1952 AF
Intelligence Initiates Staff Studies on UFO's
AF
Intelligence initiates a
series of internal Staff Studies on UFO's,
inspired by Gen. Garland's new policy emphasizing instrumentation,
which are circulated within AFOIN and its field element ATIC.
Staff Studies lead to policy and project plan approved by Director of
Intelligence, Gen. Samford, on July 28. (Brad Sparks)June 5, 1952;
Albuquerque, New Mexico (BBU 1256)
6:45
p.m. S/Sgt T. H.
Shorey saw a shiny round object fly
5-6x as fast as an F-86 jet fighter. (Berliner)
June
5, 1952; Offutt
AFB, Omaha, Nebraska (BBU 1257)
11
p.m. 2nd Lt. W. R.
Soper, a Strategic Air Command TOP
SECRET Control Officer, former AFOSI agent; and 2 others saw a bright
red stationary object for 4.5 mins before speeding away with a short
tail. (Berliner)
Early
July 1952 Mysterious
Dr. "X" Predicts UFO Flap
A
mysterious government
scientist visits Ruppelt at Project BLUE BOOK
and predicts the UFO flap, as hitting New York City or Washington,
D.C. I have identified this Dr. "X" as Dr. Stefan T. Possony,
Acting Chief of the AFOIN Special Study Group and top scientific
adviser to AFOIN Director Maj. Gen. John A. Samford, who was also a
leading military strategist and psychological warfare
expert. Possony evidently studied the plans for the continental
joint SAC-ADC
operation Exercise SIGN POST planned for late July and deduced that the
planned simulated SAC "attack" on either NY or Washington to test ADC
air defenses would trigger false UFO sightings (and in fact SAC did
"attack" Washington, but the simulated air raid was on July 23 not on
the July 19-20 or 26-27 dates of Washington National UFO incidents).
(Brad Sparks)June
6, 1952; Kimpo AB,
Korea. 8:42 a.m. (BBU missing)
Flight
Sergeant saw
cylinder-section flat disc-shaped
object, width/diameter ratio 1:7, doing a series of erratic spinning
and tumbling motions, level flight, hovering, shooting straight up,
level flight, tumbling, changing course, disappearing into the sun in
the E, reappearing back and forth across the sun. At one point an F-86
fighter passed in front of object. (Battelle Unknown No. 7)
June 7, 1952; Albuquerque,
New Mexico (BBU 1260)
11:18 a.m. Crew of B-25 bomber #8840 at 11,500 ft saw a rectangular aluminum object, about 6 ft x 4 ft, fly 250-300 ft below them. (Berliner) June
8, 1952;
Albuquerque, New Mexico. (BBU 1263)
10:50
a.m. Mr. and Mrs.
J. D. Markland saw 4 shiny objects
fly straight and level in a diamond formation. (Berliner)
June
9, 1952 - Time Article
by
Dr. Donald H.
Menzel, "Those Flying Saucers," "Light
reflections "given as explanation/June
9, 1952;
Minneapolis, Minnesota (BBU missing)
(Case
missing) (Berliner)
June
12, 1952; Ft.
Smith, Arkansas (BBU 1269)
7:30
p.m. U.S. Army
Major and Lt. Colonel using binoculars
saw an orange ball with a tail fly with a low angular velocity.
(Berliner)
June
12, 1952;
Marrakech, Morocco (BBU 1270)
11:26
a.m. T/Sgt. H. D.
Adams, using an SCR-584 radar set,
tracked an unidentified target at 650 knots (750 mph) at 60,000+ ft
altitude. (Berliner)
June 13, 1952, Fox Hill, Virginia, OSI UFO Report 10:30
a.m. An aluminum
awning salesman observed an object
described as similar to a discussed in athletics, about 25 to 30 feet
in diameter hovering approximately 200 feet over a group of pine trees
at Fox Hill, Virginia. The object made a slight whistling sound. After
approximately 10 seconds the object tilted slightly, flew upward at an
angle of 45 degrees and away from him at a tremendous speed.
June
13, 1952; Le
Bourget; France (airport).
Control tower operators and pilot watched brilliant light source cross sky SW of field after hovering for about an hour. [UFOE, X] June
13, 1952;
Middletown, Pennsylvania (BBU 1273)
8:45
p.m. (EST). R. S.
Thomas, Olmstead AFB employee and
former control tower operator, saw a round orange object travel S, stop
for 1 sec, turn E, stop 1 sec, and drop down. (Berliner; FUFOR Index)
June 15 [16?], 1952; Louisville [Boundsville], Kentucky (BBU 1285) 11:50
pm. Edward Duke, A
former Navy radar technician
saw an unidentified cigar-shaped object in the vicinity of Standiford
Field. It had a light on either side of the fuselage and a reddish hue
on the trailing end. The object appeared to be moving at about 400-500
m.p.h., and maneuvered around in several directions for 15 minutes,
then descended and flew away to the northeast. (Berliner; FUFOR Index)
June 16, 1952; Walker
AFB,
Roswell, New
Mexico (BBU 1295)
8:30 p.m. USAF maintenance specialist S/Sgt. Sparks saw 5-6 grayish discs, in a half-moon formation, fly at 500-600 mph. (Berliner) June 17, 1952; Cape Cod, Mass (BBU 1299) 1:28
a.m. USAF pilot of
F-94 jet interceptor saw a light
like a bright star cross the nose of the jet. No further information in
the files. (Berliner)
June 17, 1952; McChord
AFB,
Wash. (BBU 1298)
Between 7:30 and 10:20 p.m. Many witnesses saw 1-5 large silver yellow objects flying erratically, stop and start. (Berliner) June 18, 1952; Columbus, Wisconsin (BBU 1302) 9
a.m. R. A. Finger saw
a crescent-shaped object hover then
speed away. (Berliner)
June
18, 1952; Walnut
Lake [Pontiac], Mich. (BBU 1305)
10
p.m. Marron [Marion
?] Hoffman and 4 relatives, using 4x
binoculars, saw an orange light zigzag then hover for an unspecified
length of time. [Same witness(es) as in April 27, May 25, 1952,
cases??] (Berliner)
June 18, 1952; 100 miles E of March AFB, Calif. (BBU) A
UFO paced a B-25
bomber for 30 minutes. No
explanation could be found for the object and it was classified as an
unknown.(Ruppelt p. 146; etc.)
June
19, 1952; Goose Bay, Labrador,
Canada
(BBU 1308)
2:37
a.m. 2nd Lt.
A'Gostino and unidentified radar operator
saw a red light turn white while wobbling. Radar tracked a stationary
target that suddenly enlarged then returned to previous size possibly a
disc rotating to present wider reflective surface. (Berliner; cf.
Ruppelt p. 146)
June
19, 1952; Yuma,
Ariz (BBU 1310)
2
p.m. USAF pilot John
Lane saw a round, white object fly
straight and level. (Berliner)
June
20, 1952; Central
Korea (BBU 1313)
A
flight of 4 USMC
Capts. and pilots of F4U-4B Corsair
fighters with 7302nd Sq five Marine Corps on a mission spotted a
silvery-white object passing below them, banking into a left turn. As
the object circled around, the Marine flight leader dove toward the
object, which appeared to be 10-20 feet in diameter and it flew away at
an estimated speed of 1,000 m.p.h. and disappeared toward friendly
lines.
June
20, 1952; Near
Paulette, Mississippi (BBU)
8:26
p.m. USAF pilot Lt.
Milo Roberts and bombardier Lt.
Julius Prottengeier with 308th Bomb Sq, 310th Bomb Wing, Forbes AFB,
Kansas, flying a B-29 bomber (s/n 44-62204) at 190 mph at 17,000 ft saw
a cone-shaped object approach on collision course from the 2 o'clock
position, before evasive action object made sharp left left and
disappeared, followed by a 2nd object [?]. Object's length/width ratio
3:1, about 8-10 ft long at 1,2001,500 ft away or 100 ft if at 15
miles away. (NARCAP; BB files??)
June 21, 1952; Kelly AFB,
Texas
(BBU 1319)
12:30
p.m. T/Sgt. Howard
Davis, flight engineer of B-29
bomber at 8,000 ft altitude, saw a flat object with a sharply pointed
front and rounded rear, white with a dark blue center and red rim,
trailing sparks as it dove past the B-29 at a distance of 500 ft, in 1
sec. (Berliner)
June
21 [23?], 1952; Oak Ridge
[Marxville?],
Tenn. (BBU)
10:58
p.m. GOC post
spotted target, confirmed by ADC radar,
followed by F-47 fighter interception of a 6-8-inch white blinking
light which made ramming attacks on the F-47 from 10,000 to 27,000 ft.
(Ruppelt p. 43)
June
22, 1952;
Pyungthek, South Korea (BBU 1323)
10:45
p.m. 2 U.S. Marine
Sgts. saw a 4 ft diameter orange
object dive at a runway from the N dropping from 800 ft to 100 ft
altitude over W end of runway, shooting 2-5 ft red flames, then head W
at about 300-450 mph for 2-3 secs, hover briefly over a hill, turn
180° in 45-60 secs, flash, head E 1/2 mile, flash again and blink
out. No sound. (Hynek UFO Rpt pp. 82-83)
June 23, 1952; Oak Ridge,
Tenn. (BBU
1334)
3:30
a.m. Secretary
Martha Milligan saw a bullet-shaped
object with burnt-orange exhaust fly straight and level. (Berliner)
June
23, 1952; Location
unknown, but information came via
Japan Hq
CV 4359 (BBU)
6:08
a.m. USAF pilot
Wermack of the 18th Fighter-Bomber
Group saw a black coin-shaped object, 15-20 ft in diameter, at 6,000 ft
approach to within 1,500 ft, then make an irregular descent. (Berliner;
Project 1947)
June
23, 1952; Near
Owensboro, Kentucky (BBU 1335)
10
a.m. National Guard
Lt. Col. O. L. Depp saw 2 objects
looking like giant soap bubbles reflecting yellow and lavender colors,
fly in trail. (Berliner)
June 23, 1952; Spokane,
Wash (BBU
1331)
4:05
p.m. Airport
weather observer Rex Thompson saw a round
disc with a metallic shine flash, and flutter like a flipped coin.
(Berliner)
June
23, 1952; McChord
AFB, Wash (BBU 1332)
9
p.m. 2nd Lt. K.
Thompson saw a very large light fly
straight and level. No further information. (Berliner)
June
23, 1952;
Kirksville AFS, Missouri (BBU)
7:30
or 7:35 p.m. USAF
ADC radar operators Lt. A. N.
Robinson, Jr., and Airman Ray H. Foote, plus 5 other controllers,
officers and maintenance technicians, tracked one (two?) unidentified
target with a clear sharp return about the size of a B-29's (or B-50 or
B36) suddenly appear 80-85 miles NNW of radar site moving at a
constant speed of about 3,600 mph [to 4,300 mph] on a straight path of
about 120-125 miles headed 357° or almost due N to disappearance
off scope. (Hynek-CUFOS files)
June
25, 1952; Tokyo,
Japan. (BBU 1340)
(Berliner)
June
25, 1952; Michigan
(BBU)
(FUFOR
Index)
June
25, 1952;
Japan-Korea area. (BBU 1347)
Military
witness(es).
Case missing [?]. (NARA)
June 25, 1952; Chicago, Illinois (BBU 1344) 8:30
p.m. Mrs. Norbury
and Mr. Matheis saw a bright
yellow-white, egg-shaped object, sometimes with a red tail, make 7
circles. (Berliner)
June
26, 1952; Terre
Haute, Indiana (BBU 1348)
2:45
a.m. USAF 2nd Lt.
C. W. Povelites saw an un-described
object fly at 600 mph then stop. No further information in files.
(Berliner)
June
26, 1952;
Pottstown, Penna (BBU 1351)
11:50
p.m. Assistant
manager of airport Mr. Wells made 3
sightings of flashing lights: (1) 2 lights separated by 2 miles, with
the leader flashing steadily and the other irregularly; (2) 2 similarly
flashing lights, but with 1 mile separation; (3) Finally a single
light. Speed estimated at 150-250 mph. (Berliner)
June
27, 1952; Topeka,
Kansas (BBU 1355)
6:50
p.m. Forbes AFB
USAF pilot 2nd Lt. K. P. Kelly and wife
saw a pulsating red object change shape from circular to a vertical
oval as it pulsed, first stationary then moving. (Berliner)
June
28, 1952; Kirtland
AFB, Albuquerque, New Mexico (BBU)
1:20
p.m. 2 observers
with CARCO air service saw 2 silvery
disc-like objects high in the sky moving slowly to the S, noiseless,
suddenly climbed nearly vertically at high speed, one going SSE the
other almost due E. (Hynek UFO Exp ch. 6, case DD7)
June
28, 1952; Lake
Koshkonong, Wisc. (BBU 1361)
6
p.m. G. Metcalfe saw a
silver-white sphere become an
ellipse as it turned and climbed away very fast. (Berliner)
June
28, 1952; Nagoya,
Japan (BBU 1363)
4:10
p.m. Capt. T. W.
Barger, USAF Electronics Counter
Measures officer, saw a dark blue elliptical-shaped object with a
pulsing border fly straight and level at 700-800 mph. (Berliner)
June
28, 1952; Pacific
bet. Hawaii and Calif. (BBU)
10:50
p.m. USAF C-47
pilot saw a very bright light pass
across the flight path from left to right. (Project 1947)
June 29, 1952; O'Hare
Airport,
Chicago, Illinois. (BBU 1364)
5:45-6:30
p.m. (CDT). 3
USAF air policemen, 83rd Air Base
Sq, Air Police Detachment, S/Sgt. Lopez, A/1c Weber, and A/3c
Korkowski, saw a bright silver, smooth surfaced, flat oval 30 ft object
at about 5001,000 ft height about 2-3 miles away reflecting
sunlight surrounded by a blue circle of haze for the first 20-25 mins,
hovering, appeared between radio towers for stations WGN and WBBN 7
miles away [at 42° 0' 42" N, 88° 2' 7" W, and 41° 59' 32"
N, 88° 1'6" W] to the WSW at about 2° elevation and to the left
and S of the setting sun (which was at 284° azimuth 20°
elevation at 6:30), then move very fast to the right and left, and up
and down relative to the radio towers, moving almost instantaneously
and much faster than any jet fighter. Object rocked on its longitudinal
axis, appeared oval (major/minor axis ratio about 2.2) when oriented
vertically, thin and difficult to see when horizontal. Object receded
at high speed then disappeared like shutting off a light. No trail, no
noise. Independently witnessed by Chicago firemen several miles away.
(Jan Aldrich; unpublished Ruppelt manuscript).
June
30, 1952; Columbia,
Missouri (BBU)
1:46-3:54
a.m. (CST).
U.S. Weather Bureau observer tracked
by theodolite an object at extreme distance irregularly changing color
from red to green, seeming to move away, to the NNE making only "small"
angular movement in the 14 recorded measurements of position in 2 hrs.
(Jan Aldrich)
June
30 [July 1?], 1952;
Phoenix, Ariz. (BBU)
Gaudet
[and Wolf?]. (Jan
Aldrich; FUFOR Index)
June
30, 1952; Sea of
Japan (BBU)
7
p.m. 3 USAF crew
members of C-54 transport saw circular
object
flattened
on top and
bottom. (Weinstein; BB files??)
NARA-PBB1-56
- July 1-9 Sightings
NARA-PBB1-57 - July 10-12 Sightings NARA-PBB1-58 - July 13-14 Sightings NARA-PBB1-59 - July 15-19 Sightings CF NARA-PBB1-60 - July 19 Sightings NARA-PBB1-61 - July 15-17 Sightings NARA-PBB1-62 - July 20-22 Sightings NARA-PBB1-63 - July 20-21 Sightings NARA-PBB1-64 - July 23-24 Sightings NARA-PBB1-65 - July 23-24 Sightings NARA-PBB1-66 - July 26-27 Sightings NARA-PBB1-67 - Washington D.C. area list NARA-PBB1-68 - July 27 Sightings NARA-PBB1-69 - July 28 Sightings NARA-PBB1-70 - July 29 Sightings NARA-PBB1-71 - July 30-31 Sightings Summer
of 1952, Kirtland AFB, New
Mexico
Famous
F-86 shooting
incident. Date unknown. Case report
destroyed.
Summer
1952; MacDill
AFB, Florida
USAF Colonel, B-29 pilot investigated radar target, saw glowing ellipse which reversed direction and sped away. [UFOE, III] Dan
Wilson:
On March 2, 1950, a Joint Chiefs of Staff; (JCS) meeting focused on establishing goals for a minimum air defense by 1952. The following month at a USAF Commanders Conference at Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico, planners familiarized commanders with the thinking behind the plan of minimum defense as well as with its contents. Referred to as the Blue Book Plan, it stipulated that a minimum air defense could be in place by mid-1952. It was estimated that July 1, 1952, as the critical date when the Soviets would pose a dangerous threat. General Charles Cabell expected the Soviets to have between 45 and 90 atom bombs and 70 to 135 Tu-4 bombers (copied B-29s) by that time. Joel Carpenter:
On 1 July, nine wing B-36s (5-H and 4-F) departed Carswell to take part in a high altitude formation radar camera attack on New York City. Three aircraft were from the 9th, three from the 436th, and three from the 492nd Bomb Squadron. The nine B-36s flew to the orbit area at Cape St. Francis, Newfoundland, Canada, then flew the scheduled attack on New York City. From there the bombers flew to Montgomery, Alabama, and recovered at Carswell on 2 July. Following this, the wing presented the Meritorious Achievement Award Plaque to the Outstanding Tactical and Support Units in the wing. The 9th Bomb Squadron and 7th Maintenance and Supply Group received the awards on 5 July 1952. July 1, 1952; Boston, New York
7:25
am. Two silvery
elliptical UFOs were observed visually
near Boston, where an F-94 interceptor was sent up to investigate.
July 1, 1952; Lexington, MA 7:30 AM. Capt. Metcalf observed a milky white object shpaed like an "elongated oval" but "fatter than a cigar", about 100 feet in length or slightly larger than a four-engine airliner, having indistinct outlines at the rear resembling either a very short exhaust or a blurred tail section, with a narrow ridge along the top side, but without wings or any other aerodynamic features. (BB Files) July 1, 1952; Fort Monmouth, New Jersey (BBU) 9:30
am. The objects
moved south along the East coast and
hovered near Fort Monmouth, N.J., for about 5 minutes at 50,000 feet.
As radar at Fort Monmouth detected the objects, they put on a burst of
speed and headed southwest toward Washington, D.C., confirmed visually.
At about noon, a physics professor in Washington reported seeing
a grayish UFO hovering and arcing back and forth across the sky.
(Ruppelt, pp. 200-202.)
Ruppelt:
Without injecting any imagination or wild assumptions, it looked as if two "somethings" had come down across Boston on a southwesterly heading, crossed Long Island, hovered for a few minutes over the Army's secret laboratories at Fort Monmouth, then proceeded toward Washington. Richard
Hall continues:
While
driving through Utah in
July, a Navy chief (later
warrant officer) saw a formation of unidentified flat circular objects
maneuvering in the sky, stopped and took color motion picture film of
them. The objects defied conventional explanation when analyzed by the
top Air Force and Navy photogrammetric laboratories.
July
2, 1952; Tremonton, Utah
Navy
photographer
Delbert C. Newhouse and his wife, while
driving across the state, saw a group of 12-14 shiny silver objects
milling around in the sky. Newhouse stopped and retrieved his 16 mm
camera and filmed extensive footage of the objects. He and his
wife both reported seeing some of the objects relatively close-up and
they were shaped like one plate inverted atop another. When the film
was returned to Newhouse following Navy and Air Force analysis, the
frames showing the discs close-up had been deleted.
July 3, 1952. Selfridge AFB, Mich.(BBU 1380) 4:15 a.m. Witnesses not identified (civilians?) saw 2 big lights, about 20 ft diameter, fly straight and level at tremendous speed. (Berliner) July
3, 1952; Chicago,
Illinois (BBU 1382)
11:50
p.m. Mrs. J. D.
Arbuckle saw 2 bright pastel green
discs fly straight and level very fast. (Berliner)
July
5, 1952; Elmendorf
AFB, Alaska (BBU)
(FUFOR
Index)
July 5, 1952; Hanford
Atomic
Works, Richland, Wash (BBU)
6
a.m. Conner Airlines
C-46 pilot Baldwin, another pilot and
2 copilots saw a perfect circular white disc above the Hanford site.
(Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
July 5, 1952; SSE of
Norman, Okla.
(BBU 1390)
7:58
p.m. Oklahoma State
Patrolman Hamilton in State Patrol
airplane saw 3 dark discs [at 4,000 ft?] hover then fly away,
silhouetted against a dark cloud. 15-secs. (Berliner)
Early
July
1952 Mysterious Dr. "X" Predicts UFO Flap
A
mysterious government scientist
visits Ruppelt at Project BLUE BOOK and predicts the UFO flap, as
hitting New York City or Washington, D.C. I have identified this
Dr. "X" as Dr. Stefan T. Possony, Acting Chief of the AFOIN Special
Study Group and top scientific adviser to AFOIN Director Maj. Gen. John
A. Samford, who was also a leading military strategist and
psychological warfare expert. Possony evidently studied the plans
for the continental joint SAC-ADC operation Exercise SIGN POST planned
for late July and deduced that the planned simulated SAC "attack" on
either NY or Washington to test ADC air defenses would trigger false
UFO sightings (and in fact SAC did "attack" Washington, but the
simulated air raid was on July 23 not on the July 19-20 or 26-27 dates
of Washington National UFO incidents). (Brad Sparks)
July
6-12, 1952;
Governors Island, New York [Elizabeth, NJ?]
(BBU
1397)
11:00
p.m. Charles Muhr
[and Neff?] took 4 photos of some
indistinct light admittedly not seen visually. (Berliner; FUFOR Index)
July 9, 1952; Rapid City AFB,
South Dakota (BBU)
3:35
p.m. MST. A sergeant
and three airmen of the 717
Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing
reported that three milky white discs were between 30,000 and 40,000
feet. The airmen were lying on there backs off the edge of the
East-West runway when they observed the objects which appeared between
3 and 4 inches in diameter (at arm's length), moving faster than any
jet aircraft they have seen. Direction of travel: Northerly. The
objects were seen one at a time with approximately one minute between
sightings. Each object was observed for approximately 5 seconds. The
significance of this report is just prior to the sighting a similar
object was observed by other airmen at this station. (FUFOR
Index)
3:30 p.m. Two more airmen at the east end of the East-West
runway reported that an objects was observed at 20,000 feet or above.
It was shaped like a disc and was grayish white and approximately 3 to
4 inches in diameter at arm's length, traveling faster than any jet
they have ever seen moving to the north. The object came from a
southwesterly direction and crossed over the northwest corner of the
airfield. The object seemed to stop and hover over an area north of the
East-West runway. It would lose some altitude and then reportedly gain
it right back. (FUFOR Index)
July
10, 1952; Near
Quantico, Virginia. (BBU)
8:18
p.m. Pilot of
National Airlines Flight 42, a C-60
aircraft, saw a very bright amber glow, stationary then climbing slowly
till disappearance. (Project 1947)
July
10, 1952; Korea
(near)
Cat
9. The crew of the
Canadian destroyer Crusader saw two
shiny discs and tracked them on radar.
July
10-17, 1952 Dr.
Kaplan Visits ATIC Project Blue Book
UCLA
Geophysics Prof. Joseph
Kaplan, a member of the AF Scientific
Advisory Board previously involved with a highly secret compartmented
UFO tracking project in 1949 leading to Project TWINKLE, visits ATIC
and Project BLUE BOOK, advising on plans for a top scientific panel to
establish the importance and credibility of the UFO problem within the
scientific community (a later distorted version of the plan is forced
on the CIA by the AF as the Robertson Panel and intentionally designed
by the AF to fail spectacularly). The Battelle Memorial Institute
scientists are deemed not prominent enough to secure support within the
scientific community, but will continue with statistical studies of
BLUE BOOK's case files (ordered by Gen. Samford in Dec 1951 to
specifically verify Ruppelt's sighting pattern analysis, showing UFO
concentrations around atomic weapons bases, after his briefing
disturbed Samford). Battelle also continues special lab analyses
of alleged UFO physical evidence from time to time. (Brad Sparks)July 12, 1952; Annapolis,
Maryland
(BBU 1431)
3:30
p.m. Insurance
company president William Washburn saw 4
large, elliptical-shaped objects fly very fast, stop, turn 90° and
fly away. 7-8 secs. (Berliner)
July
12 [13?], 1952;
Kirksville, Missouri. (BBU 1436)
9
p.m. Many radar
controllers who were military officers saw
several big radar blips tracked at 1,500 knots (1,700 mph). No visual
sighting. (Berliner)
July 12, 1952; Northern Illinois 8:05
p.m. Report of
unusual flying objects (Reference to
July 12, 1952, Arlington, Illinois [BBU]) Air Intelligence Information
Report from 755th AC&W Squadron, Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Mr. J. M.
Stark, Chicago, reported that at 2005 CST he saw a greenish object
traveling in horizontal flight. Object came to stand-still, then moved
away at a very high rate of speed. Mr. L Matheis, Chicago, sighted
object going east then turned westward, yellowish in color. Mr. L.
Schrenk, Chicago, sighted object going north, weaving at low altitude,
reddish in color. Mr. A. Cressy, Chicago, saw an object going north,
turned west, not a jet type aircraft. Received call from 31st Division
through ADCC, radars picked up strange objects heading west and north
at 3000 mph and above.
July 12, 1952; Arlington, Illinois (BBU) 9:04
p.m. USAF pilot of
F-86 fighter in a flight of 2 F-86s
with 62nd FI Sq after coming out of a right turn saw [and radar
tracked?] an oblong yellowish lighted object with a trail flying in a
straight course heading 240° about 15 miles away at 22,000 ft
traveling 700 knots. F-86 pursued at max speed but object pulled away.
Both pilots heard a strange radio transmission on their restricted comm
channel during the pursuit saying the name of the pursuit pilot, Casey,
in eerie tone. 20 secs. (Project 1947)
July 12, 1952; Williams Bay, Wisconsin Air
Intelligence
Information Report describes radar tracks
by three different radars. 31st Division through ADCC reported that
Mastiff (AN/FPS-3), Orgin (FPS-10), and Cousin (AN/6PS-6B) radars had
picked up strange objects in several areas heading west and north at
different altitudes, 3000 mph and above.
July
12, 1952; Near
Greenfield, Indiana (BBU)
9:05
p.m. American
Airlines Convair pilot and copilot saw an
object paralleling the plane then dropping down. (Project 1947)
July
12, 1952; Chicago,
Ill.
Air Force weather officer, many others at Montrose Beach saw large red object with small white lights on side reverse course directly overhead. [UFOE, III] July 12, 1952; Dayton, Ohio (BBU) 9:13 p.m. USAF pilots of 2 F-86's with 97th FI Sq saw 2 brilliant round white lights hovering at 21,000 ft which then disappeared. (Project 1947) July 13, 1952. 60 miles SW of Washington, D.C. (BBU) 4
a.m. (EDT). National
Airline Flight 611 Capt. William
Bruen piloting airliner heading N from Jacksonville, Fla., saw round
ball of bluish-white light hovering to the W then ascend to airliner
altitude of 11,000 ft, then parallel course off left wing at about 2
miles distance, took off upwards at 1,000 mph when Bruen turned on all
aircraft lights. (Hynek UFO Rpt pp. 9091; NARCA0P
July 13, 1952; Osceola, WI 674th AC&W Squadron. Eleven unidentified flying objects tracked on radar at speeds of 12,000 to 20,000 knots. (Knot = 1.15 mph) July
14, 1952 Ruppelt-Maj.
Herman Briefing of CSI
Ruppelt
and ATIC Maj. Isidore
H.. Herman present the second ATIC
briefing on UFO's for the private CSI group in Los Angeles. (Brad
Sparks)July
14, 1952; 20-25 miles N of
Norfolk,
Va (BBU 1444) [CCL Item # 24]
9:12
p.m. (EDT). Pan
American Airways FO William B. Nash,
Second Officer William H. Fortenberry, in a DC-4 airliner at 8,000 ft
heading 200° magnetic, sighted a total of 8 large, round, glowing
red coinshaped objects, 100 ft diameter 15 ft thick, maneuvering
in two groups of 3 then joined slightly after by another 2. Objects
approached head on at high speed estimated at about 12,000 [27,000] mph
at about 2,000 ft altitude [about 2° depression angle] silhouetted
against the ground, to a position almost directly below their airliner,
in a stack formation then suddenly making a 150° hairpin turn like
balls bouncing off a wall, joined by 2 more identical but much brighter
red objects which came from behind on the right under the aircraft at
about the same 2,000 ft altitude as the first 6 objects joining
formation by falling in behind, all silhouetted against the black
background of bay water, with one moment when all 8 objects blacked out
then reappeared. At about 10 miles S of Newport News objects ascended
as a group in fixed formation in an arc to the right towards Newport
News to about 10,000 ft altitude [about 0.4° above level or about
2° above horizon line] out to disappearance by blinking out
randomly, after covering a total distance of roughly 90 miles from
start to finish (35 miles on approach, 55 miles to departure). Possibly
7 ground observers. (Sparks; McDonald; Tom Tulien; Joel Carpenter)
July 14, 1952; near Okinawa 10:10 p.m. local time, at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, S/Sgt Eugene K. Chalmers and 2nd Lt. Phillip Galtieri, observed a spherical object to the north of the base. The object was moving straight down, but its course changed immediately as it moved to the northeast across the sky. When change of course occurred, the object appeared to slow down and almost stop in midair. The object then picked up considerable speed and vanished. July
15 [16?], 1952; 20
miles S of McChord AFB, Wash (BBU)
12:50
[7:50?] a.m.
(PDT). USAF pilots of 2 fighters from
318th FI Sq saw a strange object with red and green lights slowly
rolling between the aircraft. (Project 1947)
July 15, 1952; Pendleton, Oregon 2055 zulu. Many civilians in 5 cars and an Oregon State Trooper observed a spherical-shaped object, 35-100 feet in diameter, silver in color, flying very fast at an estimated altitude of 4,000 feet. Object was moving eastbound and appeared to be dipping in flight. Object upon last visual contact at 2100Z, was heading due north. At 2155Z a strike force of six B-36 aircraft were over Pendleton, Oregon, heading north. July
15, 1952; West Palm
Beach, Florida (BBU 1451)
10:10
p.m. J. Antoneff
and 2 others saw a discus-shaped
object, grayish, except when hovering, when it appeared muddy. Hovered
over Palm Beach International Airport, then followed an SA-16
twinengined amphibious aircraft and flew away. 40-60 secs.
(Berliner)
July
16, 1952; Beverly,
Mass (BBU 1501)
9:35
a.m. U.S. Coast
Guard photographer Seaman Shell R.
Alpert saw several bright lights through a window screen (no glass)
from his position inside the air station photo lab while cleaning a
camera, watched them for 5-6 secs, called out to another Coast
Guardsman, Hospitalman 1st Class Thomas E. Flaherty from sick bay to
see. Objects dimmed then brightened suddenly, Alpert grabbed a camera
and filmed 4 roughly elliptical irregular blobs of light in formation
through the screen, on Super XX cut film 4 x 5 inch format, lens set at
infinity, aperture f/4.7, 1/30 sec exposure. (Berliner; etc.)
July
16, 1952; Hampton
Roads, Virginia (BBU)
8
p.m. NACA aeronautical
engineer Paul R. Hill saw 2
amber-colored objects approach fro the S, turn W, reach overhead, begin
a maneuver to revolve around a common center, change to a vertical
plane
[?] after a few orbits, were joined by 2 more objects and flew off to
the S. (McDonald list; Tom Tulien)
A
document with
an impressive
collection of CC recipients. But also a confirmation that the Nash and
Fortenberry observation
involved another aircrew whose crew also saw objects
July 17, 1952; near
Lockbourne
AFB, Ohio
Bt. 1:00 and 4:00 a.m. William W. Stevenson and William O. Havens, observed a circular object with an orange and green glow at an estimated 5000 feet in altitude 10 miles north of Lockbourne AFB, Ohio. The object would move from side to side and remain stationary for long periods of time. Both Stevenson and Havens were recently discharged from the USAF. July 17, 1952; Batesville, Mississippi 1:07 p.m. CST. State Highway Patrolmen observed two or three round blue fluorescent colored objects approximately 100 feet in diameter. One object was at approximately 11,000 feet in altitude, and the other object was at 3000 to 5000 feet in altitude. The objects seemed to stand still and then they made a gradual back and forth movement north to south. The objects were observed for approximately 30 minutes. July 17, 1952; Rapid City, South Dakota (BBU 1479) Military
(USAF?)
witness(es).
July 17, 1952; White Plains, New York (BBU 1502) 3:10
p.m. Mrs. Florence
Daley saw 2 round objects,
bluishwhite with brighter rims, fly in formation, making a sound
like bombers, only softer (witness later said she heard many feminine
voices coming from the objects). (Berliner)
July 17, 1952; Tsuiki Air Base, Kyushu, Japan 6:00
p.m. A/2C Lyle R.
Drenth, USAF, launched a 100 gram
White
balloon for a scheduled Pibal run. For the first 30 minutes the balloon
moved in an easterly direction and then came back over the field in a
south and westerly direction. This was observed by a theodolite. Drenth
then turned over the theodolite to his helper. After recording the
weather Drenth looked at the balloon again through the theodolite and
observed a formation of twelve circular luminous objects moving in
the same direction as the balloon.
July
18, 1952; Patrick
AFB, Fla. [CCL Item #16]
Many
witnesses at the
Air Force Guided Missile Long-Range
Proving Ground at 10:45 p.m. observed two amber-colored lights
maneuvering west of the base, then a third approached rapidly from the
west and flew overhead. Within 15 minutes two more
objects passed overhead from the west, circled over the ocean and
came back over the observers. They were not aircraft or balloons.
July 18 [17?], 1952; Lockbourne, Ohio (BBU 1476) 9:10
p.m. T/Sgt. Mahone
and A/3c Jennings saw an
amber-colored, elliptical-shaped object with a small flame at the rear,
periodically increasing in brightness, move very fast giving off a
resonant beat sound. 1.5 mins. (Berliner)
July
18 [17?], 1952;
Lockbourne AFB, Ohio (BBU 1482)
11
a.m. Air National
Guard employees saw a light like a big
star that disappeared when an aircraft approached. Also seen the
night[s?] of July 20, 22 and 23. 3-hours. (Berliner)
July
18, 1952; Miami,
Florida (BBU 1483)
11
a.m. E. R. Raymer and
daughter saw an opaque, silvery
bubble fly very fast at a right-angle to the wind direction. 10 secs.
(Berliner)
July 18 [21?],
1952; Patrick AFB, Florida (BBU 1485)
9:45
p.m. 3 USAF
officers and 4 enlisted men saw a series of
hovering and maneuvering red-orange lights moving in a variety of
directions. 1 hour. (Berliner; FUFOR Index)
July
18, 1952; Denver,
Colorado
American
Airlines pilot
watched unidentified lights speed
back and forth. [UFOE, V] Carpenter Case (AL)
July
18, 1952; Lac
Chauvet, France
Cat
8. Fregnale Photos.
July 19, 1952; Savannah River,
South
Carolina
Cat
2. Hundreds of
employees from AEC witnessed UFO cavort.
July
19, 1952; Porto
Maldo, Peru
Photograph of oval UFO taken by customs official. [UFOE, VIII] July
19, 1952; River
Edge, N.J.
Associated
Press
reporter Saul Pett about midnight saw
an intensely glowing, non-blinking orange ball of light moving steadily
overhead from the northwest to the southeast for 1-2 minutes. He said
that it was moving too fast and too steadily for a balloon.
July
19, 1952;
location??? (Probably Centerville,
VA.
BBSR14 didn't give a location). (BBU)
12
midnight. Part-time
farmer and hired hand saw 2
cigar-shaped objects, one hovering the other moving to the E then come
back, both ascending vertically until disappearing. Both objects
transparent (translucent?), lit from within, and emitted an exhaust
from one end. Object shapes possibly more like elongated footballs. 3-4
mins. (Battelle Unknown No. 4)
July
19, 1952;
Williston, North Dakota (BBU 1492)
2:55
a.m. Experienced
civilian pilot saw an
elliptical-shaped object with a light fringe, descend fast, make a
360° then a 180° turn. 5 mins. (Berliner)
July 19, 1952; Baltimore,
Maryland
6:28 a.m. Mrs. Carolyn Smith, on duty as a volunteer ground observer aircraft spotter, observed two flying saucers heading northeast at 2000 feet altitude. The objects suddenly shot upward and went out of sight. Duration of the sighting was approximately 20 seconds. Saucers were large, round, bluish in color and emanated a blue jet exhaust. July 19, 1952; Elkins Park, Penna. (BBU 1494) 11:35
p.m. USAF pilot
Capt. C. J. Powley and wife saw 2
star-like
lights maneuver, hover and speed. 5-7 mins. (BB files, Berliner)
July 19-20, 1952; Andrews AFB and Washington Nat'l Airport, Washington, D.C. (BBU) [CCL Item 23] 11:40
p.m.-6 a.m. (EDT).
Numerous visual, radar and
radar-visual sightings by ground observers and pilots in the air. 6
hours 20 min. (Sparks).
Richard
Hall:
Shortly
after midnight civilian
radar operators at National
Airport began tracking a group of 7-10 unidentified targets southwest
of the city, moving about 100-130 m.p.h. An
individual object would disappear from the scope at
intervals, then another target would appear. This continued for
about 6 hours, while airline pilots in the area reported sighting
unidentified lights in the positions where radar detected unexplained
targets. They were not any known aircraft.
Senior
air route traffic
controller Harry G. Barnes:
"There
is no other conclusion I
can reach but that for six
hours on the morning of the 20th of July there were at least 10
unidentifiable objects moving above Washington .... I can safely deduce
that they performed gyrations which no known aircraft could perform. By
this I mean that our scope showed that they could make right angle
turns and complete reversals of flight."
July
20, 1952; Herndon,
Va.
At
3:00 a.m. a Capital
Airlines flight approaching
Washington National Airport reported that an unidentified light was
following it. Air Route Traffic Control radar tracked the UFO to within
about 4 miles of the airport before it disappeared.
July 20, 1952; Lavalette, New Jersey; and Elk Park, Penna.(BBU 1504) 12:20-12:25
a.m. 3
independent groups of witnesses,
including Seton Hall Univ. chemistry professor Dr. A. B. Spooner (on a
yacht in the Delaware River near
Philadelphia), saw 2
large orange-yellow lights with some dull red color fly in trail, turn
and circle observers. First seen to the S at about 40° elevation,
then E, N, W, and S again but at elevation 80°. Stellar magnitude
about -3 to -5. AF pilot in Elk Park estimated 10°/min angular
velocity accelerating up to 2°/sec. No sound. 5-6 mins. (Hynek UFO
Rpt pp. 73-77)
July
20, 1952; Andrews
AFB, Maryland.
In
mid-evening Air Force
radar tracked up to 10 UFOs for
15-20 minutes. The objects approached the runway, scattered, made sharp
turns and reversals of direction. (Air Force weather observer report to
NICAP.)
July
21, 1952; Dobbins
AFB, Georgia (BBU)
(McDonald
list)
July 21, 1952; Baltimore,
Maryland
1:03 pm. EDT. Observers: Jacque Ayd & John Neuman. Altitude: 15,000 to 20,000 feet, cone-shaped, brilliant orange object dove to 2000 feet. Size of four engine aircraft dove with terrific speed toward the southwest. Time in sight: One minute Comments: No known aircraft in the area at the time of sighting July 21, 1952; Randolph AFB - Converse, Texas (BBU 1522) 4:30
p.m. Wife of USAF
Capt. J. B. Neal saw an elongated,
fuselage-shaped object fly straight and level, make a right-angle turn,
fly out of sight at 300+ mph.3-5 mins. (Berliner)
July 21, 1952; Wiesbaden,
West
Germany (BBU 1514)
6:30
p.m. USAF pilot
Capt. E. E. Dougher and WAF Lt. J. J.
Stong, separated by miles saw 4 bright yellowish lights, seen by
Dougher to separate, with 2 climbing and 2 flying away level in the
opposite direction. Stong saw 2 reddish lights fly in opposite
directions. 10-15 mins. (Berliner)
July 21 [22?], 1952; Rockville, Indiana (BBU 1533) 8:10
p.m. Military
officer and 2 enlisted men saw an
aluminum, delta-shaped object with vertical fin, fly straight and
level, then hover. 3 mins. (Berliner)
July 21, 1952; San Marcos AFB, Texas (BBU 1516) 10:40
p.m. Lt., 2 Staff
Sgts. and 3 Airmen saw a blue circle
with a blue trail hover then accelerate to near-sonic speed (700+ mph)
after 1 min. (Berliner)
July 21 [22?], 1952;
Holyoke, Mass
(BBU 1524)
After
midnight. Mrs. A.
Burgess saw a round, yellow, flashing
light fly downward. No further information in files. (Berliner) Two
other witnesses, Mrs O'Neil and Mrs. Kana, observed an object
in the sky after 2400 hours on the same night. Both
described the object substantially the same - an orange-yellow light
that flashed downward to the northwest.
July 22, 1952; Los Alamos,
New
Mexico (BBU 1538)
10:50
a.m. Control tower
operator Don Weins and 2 CARCO
pilots saw 8 large, round, bright aluminum objects fly straight and
level, then dart around erratically. 25 mins. (Berliner)
July
22 [?], 1952;
Stafford, Virginia (BBU 1654)
12
p.m. USAF pilot of
C-54 transport saw a bright ovoid
object hover then move in stops and starts, first approaching the plane
then paralleling it. (Berliner; Loren Gross)
July 22, 1952; Brookley
AFB,
Mobile, Alabama (BBU)
2
p.m. USAF Tech Sgt.
and a civilian employee saw a
barrel-shaped black object 3.5-4 ft diameter, emitting black smoke
trail and a black puff of smoke flying about 5,000 ft above ground 1
mile away heading E then flying "perpendicular" (vertical?). 2 mins.
(Hynek-CUFOS-Willy Smith files)
July 22, 1952; Uvalde, Texas (BBU 1536) [CCL Item # 30] 2:46
p.m. Don Epperly,
Trans Texas Airlines station manager
and weather observer, saw a large, round, silver object fly at 1,000+
mph while gyrating. 45 secs. (Berliner)
July 22, 1952; New Smyrna Beach, Fla. 5:45
p.m. Cat 11. A
private pilot, alerted by his wife, saw
a hovering metallic-appearing disc at about 5:45 p.m. After about 10
seconds, the disc abruptly shot away climbing at a steep angle and
disappeared. (NICAP report form.) (Based on a newspaper story it says,
"A private pilot and his companion while flying along the coast...." -
Dick )
July 22, 1952. 12 miles E
of
Peterson Field, Colo. (BBU)
6:45
p.m. USAF ADC
personnel in Cessna 140 and the pilot saw
a round silver object disappear into clouds. (Project 1947)
July 22, 1952; Near
Braintree, bet.
Boston and Provincetown, Mass.(BBU 1556)
10:20
and 10:47 p.m.
(EST). USAF pilot and radar operator of
F-94B jet interceptor saw a large round spinning object throwing off a
blue light. At 10:47 p.m., same or different F-94B jet fighter chased
bluegreen or green object circling at high speed, with airborne
radar tracking and lock on. Another [?] F-94 intercepted 2 objects with
flickering white light and swishing circling blue light which passed
the jet, with airborne radar tracking and ground visual observation.
[Confusion with Misawa case below??] (Berliner; cf. Weinstein)
July 22, 1952; Boston, Mass (BBU) 10:25
p.m.. F-89 crews
attempted to intercept UFO observed
visually. No
radar contact. Afterburners used with no success. (BB files; FUFOR
Index)
July
22, 1952; MacDill
AFB, Florida. (BBU)
10:45
p.m. USAF pilot
and copilot of bomber with 364th Bomb
Sq saw high speed object over MacDill AFB tracked by ground radar.
(Project 1947; McDonald list)
July
23, 1952; Culver
City, Calif.
Several
aircraft plant
employees saw a bright silvery
elliptical object that moved northwest, then stopped and
hovered. Two small discs emerged and circled around the area
before rejoining
the mother ship. The object then climbed straight up out of sight at
tremendous speed.
July 23, 1952; Nahant, MA 2:15-218 a.m. A Seaman on watch at Nahant Coast Guard Station observed two (2) bluish lights approximately 5 feet in diameter, appearing as flat, disc-shaped objects having no aerodynamic features and moving without sound or exhaust trail at a speed faster than a four-engine airliner at an altitude of 1,100 to 2,000 feet. When they were at a distance of approximately 1 1/2miles from the point of observation, they executed an extremely sharp turn, described by observer to be similar to the path of a ball bouncing off a wall. (BB files) July
22-23, 1952;
Trenton, New Jersey (BBU 1572)
10:50
p.m. 12:45,
1:28-3:47 a.m. Crews of several USAF F-94
jet interceptors from Dover AFB, Del., made 13 visual sightings and one
radar tracking of blue-white [orange?] lights. White, green and blue
lights were seen by ground observers and F-94 pilots moving in arcs and
blinking out suddenly. F-94 crew got radar lock on at 30,000 ft away of
object the size of an F94, at 9,000 ft away the object made a
sharp right turn, suddenly dropped in height and disappeared. Other
sightings in the Dover-Trenton area. 2 hrs. (Berliner; Loren Gross)
July 23, 1952;
Jamestown,
Rhode
Island (BBU)
7:36
a.m. USN radar
tracked high speed target heading N at
42,000 ft and confirmed by ADC radar at Camp Hero, N.Y. F-94's and
F-86's scrambled unsuccessfully. (McDonald list; Loren Gross)
July 23, 1952;
Pottstown, Penna
(BBU 1554)
8:40
a.m. 2-man crews of
3 USAF F-94 jet interceptors saw a
large silver object, shaped like a long pear with 2-3 squares beneath
it, fly at 150-180 knots (170-210 mph), while a smaller object,
delta-shaped or swept back, flew around it at 1,000-1,500 knots
(1,1501,700 mph (Berliner)
Fran
Ridge: In
November of 1961 an interview took place. It was taped.
Frank Edwards reported this in his book, "Flying Saucers
July 23, 1952; Alexandria, Virginia 9:00 p.m. A red object, size undetermined, was sighted southwest of Alexandria, Virginia. The object hovered for 10 minutes, then disappeared in a westerly direction at a high rate of speed. The witnesses were a County Policeman, two airmen and a civilian. (BB docs) (Note: The Alvin Moore "Fragment" was found at Vienna, Virginia, which is WNW of Alexandria. Alexandria is where the red object was seen on July 23, 1952. The object was last seen moving to the west). July 23, 1952; Nr. Washington, DC 9:00 p.m. Air Force jet shoots at UFO. Wilbert Smith (Canadian Project Magnet) admitted that a number of fragments from UFOs had been recovered and analyzed by his research group, including one that had been shot (by AF jet) from a UFO near Washington (Alvin Moore fragment). Said Smith: "I was informed that the disk was glowing and was about two feet in diameter. A glowing chunk flew off and the pilot saw it glowing all the way to the ground. He radioed his report and a ground party hurried to the scene. The thing was still glowing when they found it an hour later...." (See Frank Edwards audiotape) July 23, 1952; Altoona, Penna (BBU 1567) 12:50
p.m. 2-man crews
of 2 USAF F-94 jet interceptors at
35,00046,000 ft altitude saw 3 cylindrical objects in a vertical
stack formation fly at an altitude of 50,00080,000 ft. 20-mins.
(Berliner)
Bt.
8:05 and 10:15 p.m.
two lights, some described them as white
globes, were seen high in the sky. Jet aircraft were seen near where
the lights were seen and later it was learned that the 97th Fighter
Squadron had scrambled some of its planes and they were investigating
the incident. At 8:05 p.m. (2055), Major A. S. Griffin, Base
Comptrollers Office, called in a
report that while he was at the scout camp near Yellow Springs, Ohio,
at almost dark, he had seen three lights high above the Springfield
Municipal Airport. He watched the object through field glasses and he
said there were two jets that appeared to be investigating.July 23, 1952, near Springfield, Ohio July 23, 1952; Lockbourne AFB, OH This case was investigated by OSI. Numerous witnesses observed four (4) objects hovering in the vicinity of the Lockbourne AFB, Columbus, Ohio. The objects were round and fluorescent white in color. Two F-84 jets were dispatched from Lockbourne AFB, but were unable to identify the objects. Approximately 90 per cent of the personnel at the base observed the objects. Later through means of triangulation the objects were determined to be at 75,000 feet in altitude. July
23, 1952;
E of Misawa AFB, Japan (BBU)
8:20
p.m. USAF pilot
flying F-94 jet fighter chased
blue-green fireball. (Weinstein)
July 23, 1952; South Bend,
Indiana
(BBU 1578)
11:35
p.m. USAF pilot
Capt. H. W. Kloth saw 2 bright
blue-white objects flying together, then the rear one veered off. 9
mins. (Berliner)
July
23, 1952;
Braintree, Mass
Cat
9. G,A,V
July
24, 1952. Carson Sink, Nevada.
(BBU 1584)
3:40
p.m. (MST). USAF HQ
Directorate of Operations Lt. Cols.
John L. McGinn (Deputy of Ops, Fighter Br) and John R. Barton
(AFOOP-OP-D) flying E in a B-25 bomber at 11,000 ft and 185 knots
airspeed saw 3 silver white, delta-shaped or arrowhead-shaped objects
at their 1 o'clock position slightly larger than the size of F-86's (40
ft), each with a ridge along the top, in Vformation, cross in
front of and above the B-25 from right to left (S to N) at about 1,200
to 2,400 ft away at about 1,800+ mph. (Berliner; NARCAP; cf. Ruppelt
pp. 10-1; NICAP)
July 24, 1952; Travis AFB, Calif. (BBU 1588) (NARA)
July 24, 1952; Clovis, New Mexico 2130 hours. 140th Fighter-Bomber Wing. First page of document states that unidentified flying objects similar to types reported seen over "Operation Desert Rock" (Oct. 30, 1951) were observed by an officer of this wing on July 24, 1952. In
late July the 1952 wave
reached some kind of a peak, with
fantastic sightings happening one after the other. All across the
United States from July 25 through early August, Air Defense Command
radar detected unknown objects flying through the skies, and jet
interceptors scrambled to pursue them saw unidentified luminous objects
exactly where both ground and airborne radar showed them to be. These
sightings had profound implications for national defense, and
accordingly were treated with great urgency. A lot of the details were
kept secret from the public, but the cat was out of the bag on
publicity because too many highly credible people were reporting
sightings and the news media were looking for answers.
July
25, 1952; Elmendorf
AFB, Alaska (BBU)
(FUFOR
Index)
July
25, 1952;
Wilmington, Delaware (BBU)
Afternoon.
VA employee
saw 2 discs reflecting light in a
climb.
July
26, 1952; Kirtland
AFB, New Mexico (BBU 1637)
12:05
a.m. Airman 1st
Class J. M. Donaldson saw 8-10 orange
balls in triangular or V-formation flying fast. 3-4 secs. (Berliner)
July
26, 1952; Hampton,
and bet. Newport News and Langley
AFB,
Virginia (BBU)
12:15-12:45?
a.m. Ground
observers saw a brilliant luminous
alternately bright silver, red and green object hovering over the James
River Bridge at about 1,500 ft for 1/2 hour, then ascend towards the E
where seen by Langley AFB tower. USAF crews of 2 F-94's and ground
observers saw 4 round silver/bluish objects in Vformation shoot
straight up and disappear at 5,000 ft, one tracked by USN ground radar
at Norfolk and by airborne radars. (Weinstein; Project 1947? Condon
Committee?)
July
26, 1952. Kansas
City, Missouri. (BBU 1628)
12:15
a.m. USAF Capt. H.
A. Stone, men in control towers at
Fairfax Field and Municipal Airport, saw a greenish light with
red-orange flashes descend in the NW from 40° to 10° elevation.
1 hr. (Berliner)
July 26, 1952; Langley, VA At 1430 hours, Capt. Daniel G. Moore and T/Sgt Edward W. Reamer (Reemer?) of the 1907-7 AACS Det., Langley AFB, observed an unidentified target on a radar scope approaching Langley AFB from the south from a distance of 15 miles. Speed of the target was determined to be 2,600 miles per hour at an altitude below 5,000 feet. At 1450 hours an unidentified target was observed on a radar scope. The target stopped and hovered for 2 minutes and then resumed its flight at an extremely high speed. July
26, 1952; Williams,
Calif. (BBU Missing)
5:15
p.m. (PST). [N
Calif. F-94C intercept case involving
large orangeyellow object moving fast and slow, tracked by
airborne and ground radars?? (Weinstein)] Air Defense Command radar
detected a UFO, F-94 jet interceptor scrambled, locked onto the
object with its radar, crew saw a yellow-orange light. As
confirmed by ground and airborne radar, the UFO played tag with the
F-94, alternately accelerating away when it got close, then slowing
down until it caught up again. (Ruppelt, pp. 222-223.)
July
26, 1952;
Plainview, Texas (BBU)
7:17
p.m. USAF pilot and
copilot of T-33 saw a stationary
object move in a slight descent changing color from white to blue.
(Project 1947)
The
spectacular radar-visual
sightings at Washington, D.C.,
on the weekend of July 19/20 were repeated with some new twists on the
following weekend.
July
26-27, 1952; Andrews AFB and
Washington National Airport, Wash., D.C. (BBU
1661)
8
p.m. [9:50? p.m. EDT]
until after 12 midnight [1:00? a.m.
EDT]. Radar operators at several airports, airline and F-94 fighter
pilots, sighted and tracked many unidentified blips and/or lights all
over Washington area, at varying speeds. 3 hrs. 10 mins. (Berliner)
"I
saw several bright lights. I
was at my maximum speed, but
even then I had no closing speed....Later I chased a single bright
light which I estimated about 10 miles away. I lost visual contact with
it [at] about 2 miles." -- Lt. William Patterson, F-94 pilot who chased
UFOs over Washington, D.C.
July
26, 1952; Atlantic
200 miles S of New York City, New
York
(BBU)
8:30
p.m. USAF B-29
gunner, 301st Bomb Wing, saw 3 amber
edged [?] white flashing objects traveling at Mach 1. (Project 1947)
July
26, 1952; Florence,
South Carolina (BBU)
10:04
[10:10?] p.m.
Eastern Airlines Flight 606
Constellation pilot and 2 crew members saw a steady white light
traveling at high speed in a straight line at 22,000 ft. (Project 1947)
Joel Carpenter:
JOINT SAC/ADC EXERCISE. The next flying exercise took place on 27 July, as the wing launched 21 B-36s (7-9th, 7-436th and 7-492nd Bomb Squadron) from Carswell, as part of a joint SAC/ADC attack on Detroit, Michigan. En route to Detroit, the bombers were intercepted by Air Defense Command North American F-86 and Lockheed F-94 fighters. The North American F-86 Sabre was the Air Forces first swept-wing fighter, entering operational service in February 1949. The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was the first jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter service with the Air Force and first to feature a speed-boosting afterburner. It became operational in May 1950 with the Continental Air Command. Fighter opposition was considered ineffective as all bombers attacked the target then returned to Carswell the same day. July 27 [25?], 1952;
Wilmington,
Delaware (BBU 1664?)
At
2300Z Mr. James R.
Thomas observed one cylindrical object
with
a domed top and bottom moving northwest to southeast. The object
appeared to move in an upright position.
The object disappeared suddenly. Sighting lasted for
approximately 90 seconds.
July
27, 1952; 10 miles
SSW of Columbus, Ohio (BBU)
12:05
a.m. USAF pilot of
B-25 with 3 Pentagon Colonels on
board saw a white light with 4 flashing lights stationary then move.
(Project 1947)
July
27, 1952; Selfridge
AFB, Mich. (BBU 1680)
10:05
a.m. 3 B-29 bomber
crewmen on ground saw many round,
white objects fly straight and level, very fast. Two at 10:05, one each
at 10:10, 10:15, 10:20. (Berliner)
July
27, 1952; Ann
Arbor, Mich.
Biologist reported "flotilla" of rocket-like UFOs. [UFOE, VI] July
27, 1952; Manhattan
Beach, Calif. (BBU) [CCL Item # 31]
At
6:35 p.m., a group of
eight witnesses including
pilots and engineers observed a large silvery object moving
rapidly at high altitude, then making a turn. As
they watched, the object separated into
seven discs
which then formed into groups, circled, and sped out of sight.
It appeared as if a stack of coins had smoothly
separated, the pilot told investigators. (Air Force
Intelligence report.)
July
27, 1952;
Washington, D.C.
At
7:30 p.m. Both
Air Force personnel and
National Airport employees observed a large round object reflecting
sunlight as it hovered over the U.S. Capitol Building. After about one
minute the object ...wavered then shot straight up disappearing from
sight. Air Force intelligence report.)
July 27, 1952; The Pentagon, Washinton, D.C. 2000 hours on July 27 and 0200 hours July 28, 1952, Mrs.XXXXXX observed a white light immediately over the Pentagon, then it made a direct descent toward the Pentagon, stopped and veered off. July
27, 1952; Wichita
Falls, Texas (BBU 1684)
8:30
p.m. Mr. and Mrs.
Adrian Ellis saw 2 disc-shaped
objects, illuminated by a phosphorus light, fly at an estimated 1,000
mph. (Berliner)
July 28, 1952; Baltimore,
Maryland
0031 to 0237 Hours. FLYOBRPT. Mr. S. Robert Tralins observed 17 shooting lights moving in varied directions at extremely high speed. The observer holds a private pilot's license. July
28, 1952; McChord
AFB, Wash (BBU 1708)
2:15
a.m. T/Sgt.
Walstead and S/Sgt. Calkins of the 635th
AC&W Sq ADC radar site saw a dull, glowing, bluegreen ball,
size of a dime at arms' length, fly very fast, straight and level.
(Berliner)
July
28, 1952; Hallock,
Minn. (BBU)
(FUFOR
Index)
July
28, 1952; McGuire
AFB, New Jersey (BBU 1707)
6
a.m. GCA radar
operator M/Sgt. W. F. Dees, and persons in
the base control tower. Radar tracked a large cluster of very distinct
blips. Visual observation was of oblong objects having neither wings
nor tail, which made a very fast turn, at one time in echelon
formation. 55-secs. (Berliner)
July
28, Washington, D.C. Daily
newspapers headlined a
United Press story from Washington reporting that the Air Defense
Command had ordered its pilots to pursue and, if necessary, shoot down
UFOs sighted anywhere in the country.
July
28, Washington, D.C.
President Harry Truman at a
National Security Council meeting asked the CIA to look into the UFO
question. (Swords, p. 108.)
July
28, 1952; Osceola, Wisconsin
Wisconsin-Minnesota.
Ground Control Intercept radar, Air
Force pilot, plane spotter of G.O.C., tracked several UFOs. [UFOE, VIII]
July
28, 1952;
Heidelberg, West Germany (BBU 1700)
10:20
p.m. Sgt. B. C.
Grassmoen and WAC PFC A.P. Turner saw
a saucer-shaped object having appearance of light metal giving off
shafts of white light, fly slow, make 90° turn and climb away fast.
4-5 mins. (Berliner)
July 28-29, 1952; 20 miles W of
Port
Huron, Mich (BBU) [CCL Item #17]
9:40-10
p.m. (EST). One
of 3 USAF F-94B's on an ECM exercise
at 9,000-9,500 ft from 61st FIS at Selfridge AFB climbed to 20,000 ft
on a 270° heading when it was vectored to a UFO headed S [or SE?]
at 625 mph from Saginaw Bay by a GCI air defense radar (call sign
Avenger) [tracked for about 7 mins evidently]. Ground radar told pilot
Capt. Edward J. Slowinski (Sloan) to look at his 3 o'clock low position
for a target (to the N), but nothing was found, then told to look at 3
o'clock high (radar man remembered being told low then high, pilot said
he was told high then low). F94 turned right to pursue. Object
suddenly reversed course with a tight 180° turn back N on ground
radar scope [evidently at 300 mph to match F-94s speed, in a visible
loop on the radar scope on a right turn paralleling the F-94s right
turn but tighter]. As the F-94 continued right turn, radar observer Lt.
Victor Helfenbein picked up target at 4 miles range on APG33
airborne radar, level with jet altitude, at 60° relative or 2
o'clock (about 330° to 360° azimuth depending on how far into
the turn) (pilot said Helfenbein reported 2:30 o'clock). Airborne radar
contact made [for possibly 20 secs during the turn] then at dead ahead
12 o'clock position radar got lock on for 30 secs until target jumped
lock when it apparently almost doubled its 4-mile [or 4-5 mi] distance
in one sweep of the ground radar accelerating to 1,400 mph average
speed [4-mile jump in 10-sec sweep of radar, thus reaching peak 2,600
mph at about 20 gs]. Jet briefly put on afterburner to try to close
distance with object on 360° heading at 21,000 ft increasing speed
with afterburner to about 350 knots IAS (about 490 knots TAS or 560
mph) [for about 5 mins?], but object would put on a burst of speed and
pull away from the jet. F-94 pilot first saw multiple lights ahead as
if from a jet aircraft, but no exhaust or trail, and followed the GCI
vectoring to target ahead between 12 o'clock and 1 o'clock positions.
Object appeared many times larger than a star then took on a reddish
tinge, and slowly began to get smaller, as if reddish then bluish-green
then white then red again in sequence (both crewmembers in agreement)
low on the horizon to the N (possibly the star Capella and unrelated to
radar target, though Helfenbein was an expert celestial navigator since
1943 with 1,400 flying hours and had never seen anything like this
before). F-94 continued N heading [for about 5 mins] at about 300 mph
as object maintained lead at 6-10 miles range, with GCI telling F-94
crew they were not gaining on the target on scope. Chase ended with
F-94 about 5 miles N of peninsula at Burnt Cabin Point (at 44°10N,
82°45W) having to return because of low fuel, object then slowed to
200-300 mph before disappearing after another 1-2 mins. 20-mins.
(McDonald 1968; McDonald papers; Mary Castner/CUFOS; Loren Gross July
21-31, 1952 SUPP pp. 71-77; Ruppelt pp. 171-172, 190; BB Status Rpt 8;
Todd Lemire)
July
29, 1952; Osceola, Wisc. (BBU 1731)
1:30
a.m. Radar
operators on ground and pilot of F-5l
Mustang in flight. Several clusters of up to 10 small radar targets and
one large target. Small targets moved from SW to E at 50-60 knots
(60-70 mph), following each other. Large target moved at 600 knots (700
mph). Pilot confirmed one target. 1 hr. Dummary says photos were
taken. (Berliner)
July
29, 1952;
Washington, D.C.
CAA
radar in the
early morning tracked 8 to 12 UFOs at
a time traveling about 100-120 m.p.h. in a 10-mile arc around the
Nations Capital. When an Eastern Airlines pilot tried to
check on the radar targets at CAA request at 3:00 a.m., he saw nothing.
The targets disappeared from CAA radar screens when the airliner
approached, then came back in behind him after he passed through
the area.
July
29, 1952; Walker
AFB, Roswell, New Mexico (BBU)
4
weather observers
including base weather officer sighted
several high-speed discs through theodolite. (Hynek UFO Rpt. pp. 114-5)
July 29, 1952; Los Alamos,
New
Mexico (BBU) [CCL Item #18]
10 a.m. Several Los Alamos Scientific Lab and other witnesses saw white object moving E to W, about 1.8°/sec angular velocity, with gyrating or fluttering motion. 2 jet interceptors from Kirtland AFB arrived about 5 mins later chasing object W to E, all 3 leaving contrails. At 10:57 a.m. light-brown eggshaped object with wings was sighted hovering then shot off to the NW disappearing in 3 secs. 30 secs. (Hynek UFO Rpt pp. 61-64) July 29, 1952; Albuquerque, New Mexico; [CCL Item # 19] Air Force reserve colonel at Los Alamos saw a strange ellipse shaped light; indicated its rapid speed What
was characterized as the
largest Air Force press
conference since the end of World War II was
held, with Maj. Gen. John A. Samford, Director of Air Force
Intelligence, presiding. He attributed the radar-visual UFO sightings
to weather effects, temperature inversions that caused radar
mirages. 41-second sound byte (Courtesy,
Wendy Connors and the Faded
Disc Archive)
July
29, 1952; Wichita,
Kansas (BBU 1739)
12:35
p.m. USAF shop
employees Douglas and Hess at Municipal
Airport saw a bright white circular object with a flat bottom fly very
fast then hover 10-15 secs over the Cessna Aircraft Co. plant. 5 mins.
(Berliner)
Bt. 2:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m. MST. The sighting at Ennis, Montana was made by Ben Shaffer and about 11 other witnesses. At a time between 1400 and 1500 hours MST, Shaffer saw an object hovering over a mountain while driving his car. He stopped the car. The object then formed a cloud around itself. Shortly after three smaller disc like objects came bursting out of the cloud from different angles at an estimated 200 mph. The objects accelerated into an arc and disappeared. Shaffer had eight-power binoculars when he was watching this action. Shaffer stopped two other cars, one from Ohio had 50-power binoculars. Now there were about 12 observers watching with the naked eye and through binoculars. After the 3 disc like objects had left the cloud 5 objects appeared on the right side of the cloud in V formation traveling slowly and then each of these objects formed a small cloud around themselves. Then these objects one at a time entered the big cloud one behind the other. There were no other clouds visible in the sky within range of vision. During this time Shaffer took colored moving pictures with a Bell and Howell camera and still pictures with a Kodak Retina camera. Shaffer turned the undeveloped films over to Major McCarthy of the 29th Air Division at Great Falls AFB, Montana. After watching this phenomenon for about 30 minutes another cloud formed to the left of the highway and the same phenomenon occurred with objects leaving and returning. July
29, 1952; Langley
AFB, Virginia (BBU 1732)
2:30
p.m. USAF Capt D.
G. Moore, military air traffic
controller, saw an un-described object fly at about 2,600 mph, below
5,000 ft altitude, toward the air base. (Berliner)
July
29, 1952; Langley
AFB, Virginia (BBU)
2:50
p.m. Mr. Moore and
Gilfillan electronics rep W. Yhope
tracked a radar target moving away, stopping for 2 mins, again moving
extremely fast. 4 mins. (Berliner)
July 29, 1952; Ennis, Montana (BBU 1747) 3:40 p.m. MST. USAF personnel, alerted that UFO's were coming from the direction of Seattle, saw 2-5 flat disc-shaped objects, one hovered 3-4 mins, while the others circled it. Sighting length of 30 mins not explained further. Sgt. Boden at Great Falls AFB, Mont., heard a transmission from McChord AFB, Seattle, Washington of 'flying saucers' hovering there and that the saucers were headed towards Great Falls AFB, Montana. The transmission was over Plan 62 Voice Circuit Several people heard this transmission which was cut off right after 'flying saucers' was mentioned. Later McChord AFB denied making such a transmission. There were about 50 witnesses to this event. 30 mins. (Berliner) July
29, 1952; Merced,
Calif. (BBU 1738)
3:44
or 4:35 p.m.
Herbert Mitchell and employee saw a dark,
discusshaped object, trailed by a silvery light 2 lengths behind,
tipped on its side, dive, hesitate then circle very fast. 2 min.
(Berliner; FUFOR Index)
July 29, 1952; Miami, FL
9:30 PM. Mayher movie Ralph Mayher, using 16 mm film exposed at 24 frames per second, obtained good footage of a high speed UFO. Retaining a few frames for personal study, Mr. Mayher submitted the main portion of the film to the Air Force for analysis. The film was never returned and no analysis report was ever released. Enlargements of a few frames show a fiery looking roughly circular object, symmetrical, with two small peaks or projection on opposite sides of the disc. [UFOE VIII, BB docs, see full report directory] July 29, 1952; Port Huron,
Michigan
9:40
p.m. CST an Air
Force radar station plotted an
unidentified target moving at 550 knots. An F-94 in the area was
asked to investigate, and its airborne radar locked onto the UFO which
appeared as a bright flashing colored light. The object, showing on
ground radar along with the F-94, outdistanced the interceptor.
July
30, 1952; San
Antonio, Texas (BBU 1758)
10
a.m. E. E. Nye and
another saw a round, white object fly
slow then speed away. 20-30 mins. (Berliner)
July
30, 1952; Atlanta,
Georgia (BBU)
(FUFOR
Index)
July
30, 1952;
Albuquerque, New Mexico (BBU 1755)
11:02
p.m. Kirtland AFB
USAF 1st Lt. George Funk saw a
stationary orange light. No further details in files. 10 mins.
(Berliner)
July
30, 1952; Holloman
AFB, Alamogordo, New Mexico (BBU)
(FUFOR
Index)
July
31, 1952; 15 miles
E of Yokota AFB, Japan (BBU)
10:10
p.m. USAF pilot
Leach and copilot Kato of C-47 with
548th Tech Recon Sq saw an object at 7,000 ft off their left wing.
(Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
July
31, 1952; 15 miles
E of Yokota AFB, Japan (BBU)
10:10
p.m. USAF pilot
Leach and copilot Kato of C-47 with
548th Tech Recon Sq saw an object at 7,000 ft off their left wing.
(Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
NARA-PBB1-72
- August 1-4 Sightings
NARA-PBB1-73 - August 5-6 Sightings NARA-PBB1-74 - August 7-10 Sightings NARA-PBB1-75 - August 11-14 Sightings NARA-PBB1-76 - August 15-19 Sightings NARA-PBB1-77 - August 20-22 Sightings NARA-PBB1-78 - August 23-26 Sightings NARA-PBB1-79 - August 23-26 Sightings NARA-PBB1-80 - August 27-31 Sightings Aug. 1952; Skylight Mtn., Washington County, Ark. (BBU) 3:30
p.m. Inverted tin
colored saucers, 4:1 width/thickness
ratio, darted in and out of cloud bank, in 5 mile circles in 5 secs
[3,600 mph]. 5 secs. (Berliner)
Aug.1952;
Skylight Mtn.,
Washington County, Ark. (BBU)
3:30
p.m. Inverted tin
colored saucers, 4:1 width/thickness
ratio, darted in and out of cloud bank, in 5 mile circles in 5 secs
[3,600 mph]. 5 secs. (Berliner)
Aug, 1952; Falls Church, Virginia [CCL Item # 39] Preliminary report on Chop clearance list. Rotating light UFO seen by ground observers, including police. When police officer tilted scout car spotlight upward, object seemed to descend toward it. Light was hurriedly turned off, and object rose to former height, continued rotating. Aug.
1, 1952; Lancaster,
Calif. (BBU 1771)
1:14
a.m. Sheriff's
deputies and others, one named Mallette,
saw 2 brilliant red lights hovering and maneuvering. 5 mins. (Berliner)
Aug. 1, 1952; Vincennes, Indiana
10:38
a.m. Three miles
south of the town, on a farm, three
men were painting a farrowing barn. There was a
jet-like roar. All
the witnesses (one later was to become a Catholic priest) agreed it was
a flying saucer that stopped in mid-air and began to
lower itself toward the ground like a helicopter. Then it
stopped, remained there for 20-seconds, ascended to original height and
went west, then east, then west, each time making a loud sonic boom,
and swept toward the southwest with extreme speed. (UFO Filter
Center files).
Aug.
1, 1952; Near Yaak,
Montana.
Air
Defense Command
radar just before dawn tracked an
unidentified object, sighted visually as a dark, cigar-shaped object.
(Ruppelt, p. 256.)
Aug.
1, 1952; Near Troy [radar at
Bellefontaine], Ohio (BBU) [CCL Item # 20]
10:51-11:13
a.m. (EST).
USAF ADC radar site 664th AC&W
Sq at Bellefontaine atop Campbell Hill at 1549 ft elevation
(40°22'20" N, 83°43'10" W). tracked target 20 miles NNW of
Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio, traveling 400-450 knots (500 mph)
on a heading of 240° about WSW and vectored 2 F-86's piloted by
Major James B. Smith and Lt. Donald J. Hemer, located 10 miles SW of
the UFO. Jets made visual contact in 4 mins at 10:55, climbed to 48,000
ft, fell off, climbed again to 48,000 ft and Smith got a weak return on
his radar gun sight, shot gun camera film of the 24-40 ft white round
object or silver-colored sphere or disc estimated at 60,00070,000
ft and filmed by gun camera a white round object [which then took off
at high speed ?]. F-86s broke off intercept at about 11:05 or 11:13
a.m., apparently about 100 miles WSW of Dayton. Film reportedly shows
UFO image in the upper right of the frames with noticeable motion to
the lower left. 22 mins. (BB Rpt 8; cf. Ruppelt pp. 174-6; Keyhoe 1953
p. 107)
Aug. 1, 1952; Sharonville, Ohio Brilliant white disc observed at low altitude. Others reported oval object. [UFOE, XII] Aug.
1, 1952;
Albuquerque, N.M.
At
9:50 p.m. a
Scripps-Howard reporter saw a cluster
of glowing white objects overhead. The objects shifted around into
various patterns, including a perfect V at one point. Their shifts in
position were incredibly swift and fantastically violent, he said.
"They made a flying saucer believer out
of me." (New York World-Telegram, Aug. 2, 1952.)
Aug.
2, 1952; Lake
Charles, Louisiana (BBU 1783)
3
a.m. USAF 1st Lt. W.
A. Theil and enlisted man Edwards saw
a red ball with blue flame tail fly straight and level. 3-4 secs.
(Berliner; FUFOR Index)
Aug. 3, 1952; Truth or
Consequences, New Mexico (BBU) [CCL Item 21]Aug. 2, 1952; Lubbock, TX 8:57 a.m. to 9:03 a.m. Five civilian men observed a metallic looking spherical shaped object hanging in the air. The only apparent movement was a quivering motion. The object after about six minutes moved straight east until it disappeared into a cloud bank. One witness, Mr. Gibbs, was very familiar with weather balloons and he was positive that the object was not a balloon of any type. Reese AFB was located just west of Lubbock, Texas. (PBB files) Aug. 2, 1952; Houlton,
ME (BBU)
9:55
p.m. Smart and another witness on a wharf saw 21
objects
traveling 200-600 mph. 35 mins. Objects were disc-shaped and seen to
the north and northeast. Witnesses were Jack Smart and his wife
Patricia Smart. (Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich; FUFOR Index)
10:20
p.m. Civilian
engineer Anderson saw 3 lightgreen
cylindrical objects hovering at 45° elevation in inverted-V
formation, switching to echelon when one object moved, with a rolling
motion along its long axis. Disappeared by rapidly rising vertically. 9
mins. (BB Rpt 8; FUFOR Index)
Aug. 3, 1952;
Hamilton
AFB, California [CCL Item #33]
4:15-5:30
p.m.
(PDT). Two AF pilots Capt. L. R. Hadley
and Lt. D. A. Swimley, and AF Capt. W. T. Perske, saw visually and with
binoculars two circular or spherical silvery objects 60-100 ft diameter
at 12,000 and 18,000 ft drifting E to W on a 15-mile track passing
overhead, darting and dog fighting at estimated 400-450 mph, the upper
object dropping from 18,000 to 12,000 ft, at the end joined by 8 more
similar objects appearing in pairs in the W about 15-20 miles
distant. No sound. 1 hr 15 mins + ? 3 witnesses
Aug. 4, 1952; Phoenix, Ariz. (BBU 1812) 2:20 a.m. USAF A/3c W. F. Vain [and Parker?] saw a yellow ball which lengthened and narrowed to plate shape, fly straight and level. 5 mins. (Berliner; FUFOR Index) Aug.
4, 1952; Mt. Vernon, New York (BBU 1813)
11:37 a.m. Woman and 2 children saw an object, shaped like a lifesaver or donut, emitting black smoke from its top and making a 15° [?] [reciprocating?] arc in 1.5 mins. 2 hrs. (Berliner; cf. Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich) Aug.
5, 1952; Bet. Lima
and Huacho, Peru (BBU)
5:13
a.m. Panagra DC-3
pilot Sullivan and crew saw 3
saucer-shaped objects in a V-formation maneuver around the plane.
(Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
Aug.
5, 1952; Baltimore,
Md.
Experienced amateur astronomer observed two copper-like discs. [UFOE, VI] Aug 5-6, 1952; Haneda AFB, Japan
(BBU
1827)
11:30
p.m. USAF F-94 jet
interceptor pilots 1st Lt. W. R.
Holder, 1st Lt. A. M. Jones, and Haneda control tower operators.
Airborne radar tracked a target for 90 secs. Control tower operators
watched 50-60 mins while a dark shape with a light flew as fast as 330
knots (380 mph), hover, fly curves and perform a variety of maneuvers,
at one point splitting into 3 targets [?]. 50-60 mins. (Berliner)
Joel
Carpenter:
On 6 August 1952, a unit simulated combat mission was flown against Philadelphia by 19 wing B-36s (7-F and 12-H), nine of the 9th Bomb Squadron, five of the 436th Bomb Squadron and five of the 492nd Bomb Squadron. After launch, the bombers flew to Maine and encountered several Air Defense Command F-84, F-86 and F-94 fighters in the northeastern United States. From Maine the bombers attacked Philadelphia. Following this, the aircraft landed at Carswell on 7 August. Fighter opposition was very small during the mission, and did not affect the mission's effectiveness. Overall, the mission was considered very successful. Aug.
6, 1952; Tokyo,
Japan (BBU 1841)
Continuation
of Haneda
AFB sightings. (NARA)
Aug.
6, 1952;
Belleville, Mich. (BBU 1843)
Military
witness(es).
(NARA)
Aug.
6, 1952; Port
Austin, Mich. (BBU 1845)
Case
missing. (NARA)
Aug.
6/7, 1952;
Kerkrade, Holland
Marine engineer designer saw two disc-shaped objects with superstructures. [UFOE, X] Aug.
6-7 [7?], 1952;
Port Lyautey [Mina Hassam Tani?],
French
Morocco (BBU)
7:51
p.m. Control tower
personnel and 3 USN officer pilots
[one named Dobos?] while flying R5-D saw a brilliant white disc-shaped
luminous object with red blinking light, leaving a smoke trail,
traveling straight and level at high speed then shut up vertically to
15,000 ft at high speed, then hovered, descended. When aircraft tried
to climb towards object it started moving at high speed and chase was
abandoned. (Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich; FUFOR Index)
Aug. 7, 1952; San
Antonio, Texas (BBU 1855)
9:08 a.m. Mrs. Susan Pfuhl [Pzuhl?] saw 4 glowing white discs, one made a 180° turn, one flew straight and level, one veered off, and one circled. 70 mins. (Berliner; FUFOR Index) Aug.
8, 1952; Warren
AFB, Wyoming (BBU)
7:48
p.m. Pollack and
another witness saw an object
immediately stop without appearing to decelerate. 2-1/2 mins.
(Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich; FUFOR Index)
Aug.
9, 1952; Lake
Charles AFB, Louisiana (BBU 1870)
10:50
a.m. USAF A/3c J.
P. Raley while walking to work saw a
disc-shaped object fly S at 5,000 ft at high speed, turn W then [?]
hover for 2 secs. 5-6 mins. (cf. HynekCUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldric)h
Aug.
9, 1952; K-3 area E
of Pohang, Korea (BBU)
8:57
p.m. Pilot
Nagrodsky of 1st Naval Air Wing aircraft a
fireball with stream of flame pass the aircraft at 1,500 mph, tracked
on airborne and ground radars. (Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
Aug.
10, 1952; Japan
(BBU)
9:45
p.m. USMC Major
flying aircraft saw an object moving
downward from 8,000 to 1,500 ft then hovering and abruptly vanishing.
(Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich)
Aug. 11, 1952; Rockford, Ill. "Speedy
Jets Are Alerted
In Vain Hunt". Many "flying
saucers" were sighted streaking over Rockford Sunday evening by at
least 14 persons. Two U.S. air force F-86 Sabre jet interceptors based
at O'Hare International Airport near Chicago came here seeking the
strange objects, but the pilots didn't see them. (Rockford
Register-Republic)
Aug.
11, 1952; Hampton,
Virginia (BBU)
9/10
p.m. USAF Capt. and
wife driving to town saw a series
of 7 yellowish-orange low-flying objects climb away. 5 mins.
(Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich)
Aug.
12, 1952; Near Cape
May, New Jersey (BBU)
5:43
a.m. USAF pilot of
F-94B saw stationary glowing object
lose brightness and diminish in size. [Star?] (Weinstein; BB files??)
Aug.
12, 1952; Big
Spring, Texas (BBU)
4:49
p.m. USAF pilot of
T-6 saw a light flying at 500 mph
and 15,000 ft pass his aircraft. (Project 1947)
Aug.
12, 1952; 70 miles
W of Wink, Texas (BBU)
10:48
p.m. [?] USN?
pilot and copilot of SNB aircraft saw
several pie-pan-shaped aluminum colored objects pass ahead of their
aircraft and ascend. (Project 1947)
Aug.
13, 1952; Tokyo,
Japan (BBU 1889)
9:45
p.m. U.S. Marine
pilot Maj. D. McGough saw an orange
light fly a left orbit at 8,000 ft and 230 mph, spiral down to no more
than 1,500 ft, remain stationary for 2-3 mins and went out. Attempted
interception unsuccessful. 2-3 mins. (Berliner)
Aug.
13, 1952; Dallas,
Texas
Airlines
Chief Pilot
chased maneuvering light. [UFOE, V] Cat
11. Jacoby/McNaulty (AL)
Aug
13, 1952; Tucson,
Arizona
Air Force officer reports formation of bright UFOs. [UFOE, III] Cat 11, Stanley Case (M) Aug.
6/7, 1952;
Kerkrade, Holland
Marine engineer designer saw two disc-shaped objects with superstructures. [X] Aug.
17, 1952; W of
Athens, Alabama (BBU)
12:47
p.m. USAF pilot of
T-6G saw an intensely bright bright
white round object hovering then disappear suddenly. (Project 1947)
Aug.
17, 1952; E of
Abilene, Texas (BBU)
4:49
p.m. USAF pilot of
T-6D [from Webb AFB?] saw an oblong
polished metal object climbing at 500 mph. (Project 1947; FUFOR Index)
Aug.
18, 1952;
Fairfield, Calif. (BBU 1920)
12:50
a.m. 3 policemen
saw an object change color from
redgreen-orange-blue, shaped like a diamond, and change directions
[?] traveling in a straight line "sideways" [?] gaining altitude.
Military witnesses [?]. 30 mins. (Berliner; cf. Hynek-CUFOS
re-eval; Jan Aldrich)
Aug. 18, 1952; West Palm Beach,
Florida
Cat
6. Desvergers
Case/Florida Scoutmaster. Probable hoax,
but with some degree of strangeness.
Aug.
19, 1952; Red
Bluff, Calif. (BBU 1928)
2:38
p.m. GOC observer
Albert Lathrop saw 2 objects, shaped
like fat bullets, fly straight and level, very fast. 25 secs. (Berliner)
Brad
Sparks:
Blue book listed both these cases under the same number even though five hours apart. Aug.
19, 1952; Boron,
Calif. (BBU 1928)
8
p.m. (PDT). Pilot of
USAF aircraft saw tailless object
greatly accelerate away to the E and disappear, with airborne radar
tracking [?]. No ground radar tracking due to ground clutter.
(Berliner; cf. Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich)
Aug.
20, 1952; Congaree
AFB, S. Carolina
Air
Defense Command
radar tracked UFO at 4,000 mph. [UFOE,
VIII]
Aug.
20, 1952; Dayton
(WPAFB), Ohio
Cat
8. More gun camera
photos or wrong date? NICAP files.
Aug.
20 [19?], 1952;
Neffsville [Lancaster?], Penna. (BBU
1938)
3:10
a.m. Bill Ford and
2 others saw an un-described object
flying at 500 ft altitude. No further data in files. Sev. mins.
(Berliner; cf. Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich; FUFOR Index)
Aug.
21, 1952; Dallas,
Texas (BBU 1944)
11:54
p.m. Jack Rossen,
ex-artillery observer, saw 3
blue-white lights hover then descend, 1.5 mins [30 secs?] later one
[2?] of them descended further. 1.5 mins. (Berliner; cf. Hynek-CUFOS
re-eval; Jan Aldrich)
Aug.
22, 1952; Ontario,
Calif. (BBU)
3
p.m. Pilot Irvin of
aircraft saw 2 teardrop shaped objects
cross his flight path 1/2 mile away in high speed straight level flight
creating severe turbulence that rocked his aircraft. 2 secs.
(Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich)
Aug.
22, 1952; Elgin,
Illinois
USAF jets, guided by Ground Observer Corps, chased a pulsating yellowish light. [UFOE, VII] Aug.
23, 1952; [not out
of order by GMT/UTC]. Sinuiju, North
Korea
(BBU)
1:04
a.m. USAF 19th
Bomber Group weather recon B-29 crew saw
an orange-red cigar-shaped object. (Weinstein; BB files??)
Aug.
23, 1952; Akron,
Ohio (BBU 1956)
4:10
a.m. USAF 2nd Lt.
H. K. Funseth, a ground radar
observer, and 2 U.S. Navy men saw a pulsing amber light fly straight
and level. 7 mins. (Berliner)
10:15
[10:20?] a.m.
Georgia Air National Guard F-84G jet
fighter pilot Col. G. W. Johnson saw two 6 ft silver balls in abreast
formation, one turned grey rapidly, the other slowly. One changed to
long grey shape during a turn. 10 mins. (Berliner)
Aug.
24, 1952; Tucson,
Ariz. (BBU 1964)
5:40
p.m. Mr. and Mrs.
George White saw a large round,
metallic, white light with a vague lower surface, fly slowly, then fast
with a dancing, wavering motion. 1 min. (Berliner)
Aug.
24, 1952;
Levelland, Texas (BBU 1969)
9:30
p.m., 10:30 p.m.
Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Sharp saw an
object, shaped like a spinning top, changing color from red to yellow
to blue, with a fiery tail, hover for 20 mins with whistling [shrill?]
sound, then fly away on a NNW course in 3 mins. Same or similar object
returned 1 hr later repeating maneuvers. 23 mins. (Berliner; cf.
Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich)
Aug.
25, 1952;
Frontenac-Pittsburg, Kansas (BBU 1972)
5:35
a.m. (CST). Radio
station musician William Squyres saw
70-75 ft inverted platter-shaped dull aluminum color object to right
side of road about 40° elevation and 750 ft away with a "man"
inside visible in a window. He stopped the car and got out to look from
300 ft away, object had "rocking motion" and deep throbbing sound,
series of 6-7-inch "propellers" then after 1/2 min rose vertically at
high speed from 10 ft height and disappeared in a gap of broken clouds
but not behind clouds. Later found 60 ft circle of grass matted down in
the field. 1/2 min. (Hynek UFO Rpt pp. 200-3; Battelle Unknown No. 12;
Vallée Magonia 98)
Aug.
25, 1952; Delaware,
Ohio (BBU 1915)
Stanger.
(NARA; FUFOR
Index)
Aug.
25, 1952; Holloman
AFB, New Mexico (BBU 1979)
3:40
p.m. Civilian
supervisor Fred Lee and foreman L. A.
Aquilar saw a round silver object fly S, turn and fly N, make a
360° turn, fly away vertically. 3-5 mins. (Berliner)
Aug.
26, 1952; Lathrop
Wells, Nevada (BBU 1986)
12:10
a.m. USAF Capt. D.
A. Woods saw a large spherical very
bright object with a V-shaped contrail, a dark cone in the center,
approach at 1,000 mph, hover briefly, make an instant 90°-180°
turn, then a gentle climb and final sudden acceleration leaving
blue-white contrail which evaporated immediately. No sound. (Berliner;
cf. Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich)
Aug.
26, 1952; Biloxi,
Miss. (BBU 1987)
(NARA)
Aug.
26-27, 1952;
Veracruz, Mexico (BBU 1994)
2:15
a.m. Many witnesses
of object traveling in straight
line out to sea with buzzing noise. Sighting on Aug. 30. 8 secs.
(Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich)
Aug. 27, 1952; Pittsburg, Kansas [CCL Item #25] ATIC states basic details and soil sample forwarded from town where sighting occurred. Object reported hovering over open field; bluish lights seen through ports; swift ascent when observed. Soil sample broken up, unable to analyze for radioactivity. (Chop clearance list) Aug.
28, 1952; Chickasaw
and Brookley AFB, Mobile, Alabama
(BBU
2006)
9:30-10:20
p.m. 3
civilians in Chickasaw reported to duty
officer USAF Capt. at Brookley AFB seeing multiple red stationary and
maneuvering objects to the S and one moving from S to W, all over the
direction of Brookley. AFOSI agent arrived in Chickasaw at 9:50 to
investigate and saw the same 4 objects to the S and SW estimated 8-12
miles distance, one fiery red object stationary for 15 mins then
drifted 15°-20° to the right then stationary again. Radar
operator visually spotted red-green object over Chickasaw to the N.
USAF duty officer and control tower operators saw one object to the SW
at 240° azimuth to the right and lower than the moon [which was at
about 214° azimuth 22° elevation], and another object to the W
at 280° azimuth at 10°-20° elevation the latter was
confirmed by GCA's MPN-1 radar as a stationary target at 280°
azimuth 4 miles range 4,000 ft altitude [= 11° elevation]. AFOSI
officer, and others saw one object explode, one do a figure-8 maneuver,
etc., 4 6 objects larger than a star or planet varying from fiery
red, red-blue, red-green and sparkling diamond appearance, a civilian
AF employee saw a flat oval shape. 50-mins. (Berliner; cf.
Hynek-CUFOS-Willy Smith files).
Aug.
28, 1952; Le Roy,
New York
Disc circled airliner vertically. [UFOE, II] Aug. 28, 1952; Atlanta, Ga. Police watched maneuvering UFO. [UFOE, VII] 10:50
a.m. 2 U.S.
Navy pilots flying a P4Y-2 patrol
plane saw 3 white disc-shaped or spherical objects hover, then fly very
fast in a triangular formation. [May be same as Aug. 1952
sighting by P4Y-2 crew at 10,000 ft, pilot Lt. John C. Callaghan,
copilot Lt JG Bill O'Flaherty, Merchant, following Skyhook balloon
where 3 silvery discs briefly clustered on the Skyhook instrument
package at 90,000 ft for several minutes then flew off with a vertical
banking then climbed to disappearance in 3 secs. Naval History
Magazine Oct 2004, web version.] (Berliner) 2-3 mins 2 witnesses
[3?]
Aug.
29, 1952;
Villacoublay, France
Unidentified bright blue light observed through theodolite; once appeared as luminous white bar edged with black. [UFOE, X] Aug.
29, 1952; Colorado
Springs, Colo. (BBU 2013)
8:35
p.m. Military [?
USAF?] pilot C. A. Magruder saw 3
objects, 50 ft in diameter, 10 ft high, aluminum with redyellow
exhaust, fly in trail about 1,500 mph. 4-5 mins. (Berliner)
Aug.
30, 1952; Santa
Monica, Calif. (BBU)
8,
11:30 p.m. Hehr and
another witness sitting in a park saw
many horizontal bar-shaped objects appearing and disappearing, forming
a formation, traveling laterally at 1,500 mph. 2nd sighting of light
near moon. 10 mins. (Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich; FUFOR Index)
Fall,
1952; NY to Puerto
Rico
Three
Pan American
Airways pilots watched UFO hover, speed
away. [UFOE, V]. Zammett/Harris/Hutchins (AL)
Sept.
1, 1952; Atlanta,
Georgia (BBU)
9:43
p.m. Mrs. William
Davis and 9 others saw a light,
similar to the evening star, move up and down for a long period of
time. (Berliner)
Sept.
1, 1952; Marietta,
Georgia (BBU 2022)
10:30
p.m. Mr. Bowman
(ex-artillery officer) and 24 others
saw a red, white, and blue-green object which spun and shot off sparks.
An unidentified witness using binoculars saw 2 large objects shaped
like spinning tops with red, blue and green colors, fly side by side,
leaving a sparkling trail for 30 mins. 15-30 mins. (Berliner)
Sept.
1, 1952; Marietta,
Georgia (BBU)
10:50
p.m. ExAAF
B-25 gunner saw 2 large white
disc-shaped objects with green vapor trails fly in trail formation,
merge, fly away very fast. (Berliner)
4:45
a.m. Visual
sighting by 2 USAF enlisted men, radar
tracking by 3 men using FPS-3 radar set. 2 small, varicolored lights
became black silhouettes [of "dark, cigar-shaped object"?] at dawn,
flew erratically. 1 hours. (Berliner; cf. Ruppelt p. 194)
Sept.
2, 1952; Tokyo,
Japan (BBU)
(McDonald
list)
Sept.
2, 1952; Chicago,
lllinois (BBU 2025)
3
a.m. Radar controller
Turason (GCA) at Midway Airport
tracked 40 targets flying in miscellaneous directions, up to 175 mph, 2
targets seemed to fly in formation with DC-6 airliner. 8 hours total.
(Berliner)
Sept.
3, 1952; Tucson,
Ariz. (BBU)
9
a.m. Civilian pilots
McCraven and Thomas saw a shiny, dark
ellipse make three broad, curving sweeps. 1.5 mins. (Berliner)
Sept.
6, 1952; Lake
Charles AFB, Louisiana (BBU 2045)
1:30
a.m. T/Sgt. J. E.
Wilson and 2 enlisted men saw a
bright star-like light move about the sky. 2 hrs. (Berliner)
Sept.
6, 1952; Tucson,
Ariz. (BBU 2048)
4:55
p.m.
Ex-Congresswoman Mrs. Isabella King and Bill
McClain saw an orange teardrop-shaped object whirl on its vertical
axis, descend very fast, stop, retrace its path upwards, while whirling
in the opposite direction. 1.5 mins. (Berliner)
Sept.
7, 1952; San
Antonio, Texas (BBU 2049)
10:30
p.m. Chemist J. W.
Gibson and others saw an orange
object or light (color temperature 2,000° F.) explode into view.
3-20 secs. (Berliner)
Sept.
7, 1952; San
Antonio, Texas (BBU 2052) (NARA)
Sept.
9, 1952; Rabat,
French Morocco (BBU 2062)
9
p.m. USAF Intelligence
civilian illustrator E. J. Colisimo
saw a disc with lights along part of its circumference, fly twice as
fast as a T-33 jet trainer, in a slightly curved path. 5 secs.
(Berliner)
Sept.
9, 1952; Portland,
Oregon
Two oval objects observed in searchlight beam. [UFOE, XII] Sept.
12, 1952; Allen,
Maryland (BBU 2077)
9:30
p.m. GOC observers
Mr. and Mrs. David Kolb using
binoculars saw a white light with red trim and streamers fly NE. 35
mins. (Berliner)
Sept.
13, 1952; Near
Allentown, Penna. (BBU 2085)
7:40
p.m. Private pilot
W. A. Hobler, flying a Beech Bonanza
at 10,000 ft from Allentown to the Caldwell-Bright Omni station, saw a
3 ft object, shaped like a fat football, flaming orange-red color, at
his 11 o'clock high position about 450-600 ft away descend at a 30°
angle on a collision course, Hobler made a sharp climb to avoid it,
object then pulled up in a 65° climb in front of Hobler's airplane,
Hobler made a rapid 180° right turn but lost the object traveling
at about 700 mph. 15 secs. ? (Berliner; NARCAP)
Sept.
14, 1952. Santa
Barbara, Calif. (BBU 2086)
8:40
p.m. USAF C-54
transport pilot Tarbutton saw a
bluewhite light travel straight and level, then fly up. 30 secs.
(Berliner)
Sept. 14, 1952; North Atlantic
between
Ireland and Iceland. (BBU 2087)
Military
personnel from
several countries aboard ships in
the NATO Operation MAINBRACE exercise. Sightings include a blue-green
triangle flying 1,500 mph and 3 objects in triangular formation giving
off white light exhaust at 1,500 mph. (Berliner)
Sept.
14, 1952; White
Lake, South Dakota (BBU 2089)
7
p.m. GOC observer L.
W. Barnes, using binoculars saw a
red, cigar-shaped object, with three puffs behind it, fly W, then S,
then was gone. 30-40 mins. (Berliner)
Sept.
14, 1952; Olmstead
AFB, Penna. (BBU 2093)
Time
not known. Pilot of
Flying Tiger Airlines airplane
N67977 saw a blue light fly very fast on a collision course with the
airliner. Note: the summary card attached to the file showed completely
different information. (Berliner)
Sept.
14, 1952; El Paso,
Texas. (BBU 2092) (NARA)
Sept.
14-15, 1952;
Ciudad Jaurez, Mexico (BBU)
11:30
p.m. - 1:20 a.m.
Consulting engineer R. J. Portis and
3 others saw 6 groups of 12-15 luminous spheres or discs, which flew in
formations varying from arcs to inverted-Y's, very fast. 1 hr. 50 mins.
(Berliner)
6:22
p.m. Crew of U.S.
Navy P2V Neptune patrol plane saw a
group of 5 lights in circular formation at the same time a long, thin
blip was tracked on radar. Note: Possible USAF KC-97 airplanes involved
in a refueling operation. 20 mins. (Berliner)
Sept.
16, 1952;
Warner-Robbins AFB, Georgia (BBU 2100)
7:30
p.m. 3 USAF
officers and 2 civilians saw white lights
fly abreast at 100 mph. 15 mins. (Berliner)
Sept.
16, 1952; Belle
Glade, Florida. Circular object
with row of lights on underside passed low overhead; cattle bolted.
[UFOE, XII]
Sept.
17, 1952; Tucson,
Ariz. (BBU 2105)
11:40
a.m. Mr. and Mrs.
Ted Hollingsworth saw 2 groups of 3
large, flat, shiny objects fly in tight formations, the first group
slow, the second faster. 2 mins. (Berliner)
Sept. 19, 1952; Denmark and Norway
Spherical
UFO
photographed from U. S. Navy aircraft carrier
participating in "Operation Mainbrace," NATO maneuvers. [UFOE, XII]
Sept.
20 [19? 21?],
1952; Topcliffe RAF Station, Yorkshire,
England, UK. (BBU)
10:53
a.m. [4:14 p.m.?]
Operation MAINBRACE Meteor jet
fighter (flown by Flight Lt. John W. Kilburn and Flight Lt. Cybulski ?)
was descending to land at 5,000 ft when they saw a slow-moving circular
silver [or white?] object about 5 miles behind them at about 15,000 ft
following a similar course then swinging like a "falling sycamore leaf"
or pendulum and began descending. As the Meteor turned towards
Dishforth the object followed, then stopped falling leaf motion and
descent, began rotation on its axis, suddenly accelerated at
"incredible speed" faster than a meteor to the W then turned to SE [and
disappeared]. Ground ? observers included Flying Officer Paris, Master
Signaller Thompson, Higgins ? and 5 other aircrew [on the ground?].
(Jan Aldrich; Ruppelt pp. 195-6; 15-20 secs + ( NICAP; FUFOR Index)
Sept. 21?, 1952; North Sea near
England, UK. (BBU)
Operation
MAINBRACE
sighting by 6 British pilots in a
formation of Meteor jets who pursued shiny spherical object but lost it
in 1-2 mins then it reappeared following one of the jets which turned
to pursue but the object outmaneuvered the jet. Several mins. (Ruppelt
p. 196; BB files??; FUFOR Index ?)
Sept.
22, 1952; Fairfax
County, Va.
Police observed 3-4 UFOs maneuvering erratically. [UFOE, VII] Sept.
23, 1952; Gander
Lake, Newfoundland, Canada (BBU 2119)
No
time shown.
Pepperrell AFB operations officer and 7 other
campers saw bright white light, which reflected on the lake, fly
straight and level at 100 mph. 10 mins. (Berliner)
Sept.
24, 1952;
Charleston, West Virginia (BBU 2124)
3:30
p.m. Crew of USAF
B-29 bomber saw a lot of bright,
metallic particles or flashes, up to 3 ft in length, stream past the
B-29. 15 mins. (Berliner)
Sept.
24, 1952;
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (BBU)
7:45
p.m. USN crew of
TBM-18 chased an orange light with
greenish tail. (Weinstein)
Sept.
26, 1952; 400
miles NNW of Azores Islands (BBU 2126)
[CCL Item # 22]
11:16
p.m. Pilot,
copilot, engineer and aircraft commander
of USAF C-124 transport plane saw 2 distinct green lights to the right
and slightly above the C-124, at one time seemed to turn toward it, the
lights alternated leading each other. 1 hr + (Berliner)
Sept.
27, 1952;
Hempstead, Texas (BBU)
2
USAF T-33 pilots saw a
white-silver circular flat disc
flying erratically at 600-700 mph. (Weinstein)
Sept.
27, 1952;
Inyokern, Calif. (BBU 2128)
10
p.m. 2 couples, using
a 5x telescope saw a large, round
object, which went through the color spectrum every 2 secs, fly
straight and level. 15 mins. (Berliner)
Sept.
28, 1952; Tsushima
Island, Japan (BBU) (McDonald
list)
Sept.
28, 1952; Goose
Bay, Labrador, Canada (BBU) (McDonald
list)
Sept.
29, 1952.
Rochester, England, UK [?]. (BBU 2136)
3:55
p.m. Witnesses
unknown, but report came via the
Rochester Police Dept., of 2 flat objects hovering then speeding away.
3 mins. (Berliner)
Sept.
29 [?], 1952.
Aurora [Denver?], Colo. (BBU)
3:15
p.m. USAF T/Sgt. B.
R. Hughes saw 5-6 circular objects,
bright white but not shiny, circle in trail formation. [Same as Denver
Sept. 30 case?] 5-6 mins. (Berliner)
Sept.
29, 1952; Southern
Pines, North Carolina (BBU 2140)
8:15
p.m. U.S. Army Res.
1st Lt. C. H. Stevens and 2 others
saw a green ellipse. with a long tail, orbiting. 15 mins. (Berliner)
Sept.
30, 1952; Edwards
AFB, California
Aviation photographer, others, observed two discs alternately hovering and darting around. [UFOE, VI] Sept.
30, 1952; Denver,
Colo. (BBU 2138) Same
as Sept. 29 Aurora
case?] (NARA)
Oct.
1, 1952; Shaw AFB,
South Carolina (BBU 2142)
6:57
p.m. USAF 1st Lt.
T. J. Pointek, pilot of RF-80 recon
jet, saw a bright white light fly straight, then vertical, then hover,
then make abrupt turn during attempted intercept. 23 mins. (Berliner)
2143
Oct. 1, 1952.
Pascagoula, Mississippi. 7:40 p.m. Mr.
and Mrs. C. C. McLean and another heard a loud blast and saw a round,
milky-white object, shaped like a powder puff, hover for 5-10 mins then
fly away very fast in an arc. 22 mins. (Berliner)
Oct.
1, 1952;
Pascagoula, Mississippi (BBU 2143)
7:40
p.m. Mr. and Mrs.
C. C. McLean and another heard a loud
blast and saw a round, milky-white object, shaped like a powder puff,
hover for 5-10 mins then fly away very fast in an arc. 22 mins
(Berliner)
Oct.
7, 1952;
Alamogordo, New Mexico (BBU 2150)
8:30
p.m. USAF Lt.
Bagnell saw a pale blue oval, with its
long axis vertical, fly straight and level covering 30° of sky. 4-5
secs. (Berliner)
Oct.
10, 1952; Otis AFB,
Mass. (BBU 2155)
6:30
p.m. USAF S/Sgt and
2 other enlisted men saw a blinking
white light move like a pendulum then shoot straight up. 20 mins.
(Berliner)
Oct.
11, 1952; Newport
News, Va.
Ground Observer Corps spotter saw disc-shaped UFO with "dome". [UFOE, XII] Oct.
12, 1952l Palo
Alto, Calif.
V-formation of six apparent discs. [UFOE, V] Oct.
13, 1952; Oshima,
Japan
Air Force pilot and engineer saw round object in cloud formation; object became elliptical in appearance, sped away disappearing in seconds. [UFOE, III] Oct.
15, 1952; Ashiya,
Japan (BBU)
(McDonald
list)
Oct.
17, 1952; Taos, New
Mexico (BBU 2171)
9:15
p.m. 4 USAF
officers saw a round, bright blue light
move from N to NE at an elevation of 45° then burn out. 2-3 secs.
(Berliner)
Oct.
17, 1952; Killeen,
Texas (BBU 2172)
10:15
p.m. Ministers
Greenwalt and Kluck saw 10 lights, or a
rectangle of lights, move more or less straight and level. 5 secs.
(Berliner)
Oct.
17, 1952; Tierra
Amarilla AFS, New Mexico (BBU 2173)
11
p.m. Military witness
[at USAF radar site] saw a white
streamer move at an estimated 3,000 mph in an arc. No further details
in files. 20 secs. (Berliner)
Oct.
19, 1952; San
Antonio, Texas (BBU 2177)
1:30
p.m. Ex-USAF
aircrewman Woolsey saw 3 circular aluminum
objects, one olive-drab colored on the side, fly in a rough
V-formation. One object flipped slowly, another stopped. 3-4 mins.
(Berliner)
Oct.
19, 1952; (Pacific)
500 miles S of Hawaii (BBU 2175)
6:58 p.m. Crew of USAF C-50 transport plane saw a 100 ft diameter round yellow light, with a red glowing edge, fly at 300-400 knots (350-450 mph). 20 secs. (Berliner) Oct.
21, 1952;
Knoxville, Tenn. (BBU 2179)
No
time given. Witnesses
at airport weather station saw 6
white lights fly in a loose formation, make a shallow dive at a weather
balloon. 1-2 mins. (Berliner)
Oct.
24, 1952; Elberton
[Elberta?], Alabama (BBU 2184)
8:26
p.m. USAF Lt. Rau
and Capt. Marcinko, flying a Beech
T-11 trainer, saw an object, shaped like a plate, with a brilliant
front and vague trail, fly with its concave surface forward. 5 secs.
(Berliner; FUFOR Index)
Oct.
27, 1952; Gaillac,
France
Hundreds of citizens saw 16 UFOs in formation surrounding a cigar-shaped object. "Angel's hair" fell. [UFOE, VIII] Oct. 29, 1952; Erding Air Depot, Germany (BBU 2196) 7:50
a.m. USAF S/Sgt.
Anderson and A/2c Max Handy saw a
round object, silhouetted against a cloud, fly straight, level and
smooth at 400 mph. 20 secs. (Berliner)
Oct.
29, 1952;
Hempstead, Long Island, New York (BBU) [CCL
Item #5]
2
a.m. 2 USAF F-94 jet
fighter crews saw a white luminous
object maneuvering at high speed, tracked on airborne radar.
(Weinstein; BB files??)
Oct.
29, 1952; Richmond,
Virginia
Venezuelan
Airlines
pilot watched luminous UFO speed past
plane. [UFOE, V]. Rivas Case (AL)
Oct.
31, 1952; 4 miles S
of Fayetteville, Georgia (BBU 2200)
7:40
p.m. USAF Lt. James
Allen saw an orange, blimp-shaped
object, 80 ft long 20 ft wide, appear to the N at treetop level about
600 ft away, traveling towards him about 60-70 mph, cross over his car
(when his radio faded out) at about 500 ft height. He got out of the
car and watched object linger overhead about 20 secs, then point its
nose at 45° angle, accelerate and climb to disappearance in
3040 secs to the E and slightly to right of the full moon (96°
azimuth 35° elevation) at tremendous speed.1 min. (Hynek UFO
Rpt pp. 191-2)
Nov.
3, 1952; Laredo
AFB, Texas (BBU 2202)
6:29
p.m. 2 control
tower operators, including Lemaster, saw
a long, elliptical, white-grey light fly very fast, pause, and then
increase speed. 3-4 secs. (Berliner)
Nov.
[Dec.?] 4, 1952;
Congaree AFB, Columbia, South Carolina
(BBU)
(McDonald
list)
Nov.
4, 1952; W
Hokkaido, Japan (BBU)
(FUFOR
Index)
Nov.
4, 1952; Caribou,
Maine (BBU)
5:30
p.m. USAF pilot of
T-6 saw a slow moving light of
varying colors, stop and move. (Project 1947)
Nov.
4, 1952; Vineland,
New Jersey (BBU 2206)
5:40
p.m. Housewife Mrs.
Sprague saw 2 groups of 2-3
whirling discs of light fly toward the SE. 30 secs. (Berliner)
Nov.
8, 1952; Tierra
Amarilla AFS, New Mexico (BBU)
(McDonald
list; FUFOR
Index)
Nov.
12, 1952; Los
Alamos, New Mexico (BBU 2219)
10:23
p.m. AESS security
inspector saw 4 red-white-green
lights fly slowly over a prohibited area. 15 mins. (Berliner)
Nov.
13, 1952; Opheim,
Montana (BBU 2220)
2:20
a.m. Crew of
USAF 779th AC&W station tracked
an unidentified target on FPS-3 radar at 158,000 ft altitude (30 miles)
and 240 mph. 1 hr 28 min. (Berliner)
Nov.
13, 1952; Glasgow,
Montana (BBU 2220)
2:43
a.m. U.S. Weather
Bureau observer Earl Oksendahl saw 5
oval-shaped objects, with lights all around them, fly in a V-formation
for about 20 secs. Each object seemed to be changing position
vertically by climbing or diving as if to hold formation. Formation
came from the NW, made a 90° turn overhead, and flew away to the
SW. 20 secs +. (Berliner)
Nov.
15, 1952; Near
Pyongyang, North Korea (BBU)
USAF
pilot flying T-6
aircraft was circled 3 times by a 10
ft silvery sphere. (Weinstein)
Nov.
15, 1952; Wichita,
Kansas (BBU 2224)
7:02
a.m. USAF Maj. R.
L. Wallander, Capt. Belleman, A/3c
Phipps saw an orange object (a blue streak?) varied in shape, as it
made jerky upward sweeps with 10-15 sec pauses. 3-5 mins. (Berliner)
Nov.
15, 1952; Wichita,
Texas (BBU)
8:25
p.m. USAF B47
crew and passengers saw an
elliptical blue-white object with orange or red tail, moving
erratically. (BB Status Rpt?) [Same case as above??]
Nov.
16, 1952; Nr.
Landrum, S. C.
Hundreds of people saw a huge disc, watched through binoculars by air-traffic controller. (UFOE) Nov.
20, 1952; Salton
Sea, Calif. 8:05 p.m. (BBU)
USAF
pilot of B-50 saw a
stationary light change color from
white to red to green, then move SW. (Project 1947)
Nov.
24, 1952;
Annandale, Virginia (BBU 2246)
6:30
p.m. L. L.
Brettner saw a round, glowing object
fly very fast, make right angle turns and reverse course. 1 hr.
(Berliner)
Nov.
25, 1952; White
Sands, New Mexico (BBU)
(McDonald
list)
Nov. 25, 26, 1952; Panama
Canal,
Panama [CCL Item # 41]
6:06
P.M. to 11:47 p.m.
Two objects traveling at an
estimated speed of 275 mph were detected by radar attached to
antiaircraft guns. The objects remained over the Canal Zone for 5 1/2
hours. Three Air Force bombers and a Navy patrol plane were sent up but
were unable to catch the elusive objects. Maneuvering from 1000
feet to 28,000 feet in altitude. [NARA-PBB92-585; UFOE,
VIII].
Nov.
26, 1952; Goose
Bay, Labrador, Canada (BBU)
2:30
a.m. F-94 chased
maneuverable disc that changed color
from white [orange?] to red, as it climbed and turned. (McDonald list;
NICAP; Project 1947)
Nov.
27, 1952;
Albuquerque, New Mexico [S of Prescott, Ariz.
?]
(BBU 2249)
12:10
p.m. Pilot and
crew chief of USAF B-26 bomber saw a
series of 20 ft black smoke bursts (4-3-3-4-3), similar to antiaircraft
fire. 20 min. (Berliner)
Nov.
30, 1952;
Washington, D.C (BBU 2253)
12:30
a.m. Radar 1
operators [?] at Washington National
Airport. Radar trackings similar to those of July 26, 1952. Military
witness(es) [?]. (Berliner)
Chadwell
Gives Director of CIA
His Opinion. CIA knows what UFOs are NOT and is concerned.
Dec. 4, 1952; Colorado Springs, Colo. (BBU) (McDonald
list)
Dec. 4, 1952; Laredo, Texas (BBU)
[CCL Item #1]
8:46-8:53
p.m. USAF
pilot Lt. Robert Arnold flying T-28
trainer aircraft at 6,000 ft saw a bright bluish-white glowing object
below him rapidly climbing to his level, showing no navigation lights.
Arnold tightened his left turn to keep object in view, object suddenly
climbed to 9,000 ft in several secs then dropped down to his altitude
again headed E to 6 miles SE of AFB where it stopped and hovered.
Arnold pursued on SE heading but after 2 secs object suddenly headed
towards him on collision course at high speed, wavering slightly at
about 300 ft as if determining which side to pass the aircraft then
heading off Arnold's left wing at 150 ft distance, at which point he
could see object as a blurred reddishbluish haze smaller than his
T-28, all of which happened too fast for evasive action. Arnold in fear
turned off running lights, spiraled down to 1,500 ft while keeping
object in sight as object continued to head towards him in a dive then
pulled up and climbed out of sight. 7 mins. (NARCAP)
Dec.
5, 1952; Lackland
AFB, Texas (BBU)
8:48
p.m. USAF pilot of
T-28 saw a blue light maneuver in a
counterclockwise orbit then climb. (Project 1947)
Dec.
6, 1952; About 89 miles S of
Louisiana in Gulf
of Mexico (BBU) [CCL Item #8]
5:24-5:35
a.m. (CST).
USAF crew of B-29 bomber at 20,000 ft
tracked on radar 4 high speed targets on 120° heading at 5,000+
mph, followed by more targets moving SE. At 5:35 several (5?) blips
merged into an arc about 30 miles away at 320° relative bearing and
moved off the scope at 9,000+ mph. 11 mins. (McDonald; cf. Condon Rpt
pp. 148-150; etc.)
Dec.
6, 1952; Angoon,
Alaska (BBU)
9:15
a.m. (AHST). Air
National Guard pilot saw 2 shiny
spheres connected by a solid rod heading S. (BB Status Rpt)
Dec.
8, 1952; Ladd AFB,
Alaska (BBU 2266)
8:16
p.m. Pilot 1st Lt.
D. Dickman and radar operator 1st
Lt. T. Davies in USAF F-94 jet interceptor (s/n 49-2522) saw a white,
oval light which changed to red at higher altitude, fly straight and
level for 2 mins on 240° course, then climb at phenomenal speed on
an erratic flight path. After landing object could still be seen moving
erratically, no noise, for 3 mins then took up 160° heading gaining
speed while descending, becoming brighter red. 10 mins. (Berliner; cf.
Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich)
Dec
8, 1952; Chicago,
Illinois
Aircraft
paced by row of
unidentified lights. [UFOE, V].
Thorpe/Plowe (M)
Dec.
9, 1952; About 10
miles S of Madison, Wisc. (BBU 2267)
5:45
p.m. Capt. Bridges
and 1st Lt. Johnson in USAF T-33 jet
trainer saw 4 bright lights, in diamond formation, fly at 400 mph
heading 130° or about SW at about 8,000 ft. They followed objects
at 450 mph until passing (overtaking) them near 10 miles NE of
Janesville, Wisc. (at 42°47' N, 88° 55' W) at 5:50 p.m., at
which time they radioed the ADC 755th AC&W radar site "Soapberry,"
which could not detect objects, only the T-33. Objects continued on
90° E heading and T-33 followed until breaking off due to low fuel
at 5:55 about 10 miles W of Racine, Wisc. (at 42°45' N, 88° 0'
W). No silhouette visible even when objects seen against Milwaukee city
lights. 10 mins. (Berliner; cf. Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich)
Dec.
10, 1952; Pope AFB,
South Carolina (BBU)
(McDonald
list)
Dec.
10, 1952; Hungnam,
Korea (BBU)
USN
pilot flying
aircraft in near-collision with orange
fireball. (Weinstein; BB files??)
Dec.
10, 1952; Odessa-Hanford,
Wash. (BBU)
7:15-7:30
p.m. (PST).
F-94 crew spotted a light while flying
at 26,000-27,000 ft and approached to identify it. Object appeared
large, round and white with reddish light coming from two "windows,"
came at F-94 on collision course, F-94 banked to avoid impact, radar
contact and/or lockon made multiple times on airborne ARC-33 radar. 15
mins. (Ruppelt p. 43; NARCAP)
Dec.
12, 1952
Brad
Sparks:
Top CIA officials (Chadwell, Robertson, Durant) visited ATIC Project BLUE BOOK to obtain the withheld UFO investigation reports that Ruppelt indicated in phone conversation with CIA missile intelligence officer Frederick C. Durant III on Dec. 9 were being held back from CIA by orders of his boss ATIC Technical Analysis Division Chief, Col. Donald L. Bower, evidently acting at the behest of the AF Intelligence leaders, Gen. Garland and Dr. Stefan Possony. In other words an AF coverup to help conceal evidence of UFO reality from the CIA. Col.
Bower was blocking Ruppelt's
planned visit to CIA in
Washington, DC, to prevent him from delivering these reports showing
them to be sensational cases (movie film, theodolite triangulation,
landing case with burn injuries) but IFO's and not UFO Unknowns or best
of the best, as the AF had falsely claimed in the briefing given to CIA
on Nov. 25. Ruppelt's investigative reports would have undone too
soon the false pro-UFO impression the AF had given to CIA -- the false
"UFO" reports were intended to be revealed as IFO's at the CIA
Robertson Panel to embarrass the CIA to stay out of AF business, and
not sooner. Col. Bower himself had given the deliberately
misleading AF briefing to CIA on Nov. 25, falsely promising CIA the
AF's "full cooperation," and bringing along the lower-ranking pro-ETH
advocate Maj. Fournet whose participation was calculated to reinforce
pro-ETH conclusions on the CIA. The AF briefing convinced the
leaders of CIA/OSI (Office of Scientific Intelligence) that UFO's were
extraterrestrial spacecraft.
Ruppelt
gave the CIA team led by
Dr. H. Marshall Chadwell
(director of CIA/OSI and now convinced of the ET origin of UFO's)
dozens of additional "best UFO" reports to study but in fact they were
all IFO cases designed to blow up in CIA faces at the Robertson
Panel. Ruppelt completely withheld from CIA, and concealed the
existence of, his special file of more than 63 Best Unexplained UFO
cases, no doubt by direct orders of Col. Bower, whose name keeps
popping up in the story of devious AF coverups on UFO's in 1952. (Brad
Sparks)
Dec.
14, 1952;
Charlottesville, Virginia (BBU)
11:45
a.m. (EST).
Aeronautical engineer former test pilot
saw a light orange elliptical shaped object, hovering then move NE at
extreme speed, 1,000+ mph estimated. Object gave off discharge that
changed brightness when object moved; debris lofted in the air
apparently by the object. (Hynek-CUFOS re-eval; Jan Aldrich)
Dec.
15/16, 1952; Goose Bay,
Labrador,
Canada (BBU) [CCL Item #7]
F94
chased
maneuverable disc that changed color from
white to red, and tracked it on airborne radar. T-33 crew also sighted
it. (NICAP, BB files)
Dec.
15, 1952; Honshu,
Japan (BBU)
(McDonald
list)
Dec.
15, 1952;
Greensboro [Hurstville?], North Carolina (BBU)
9:15
a.m. USAF pilot of
RF-80 saw a bright circular or
spherical silvery object, losing and gaining altitude. (Project 1947)
Dec. 17, 1952, San Diego, Cal. (BBU) Four members of the U.S. Navy Electronics Laboratory at San Diego, observed two or more objects described as cigar or disc shaped that emanated bright light in smooth flight. The speed of the objects was described as being from the speed of a present day jet aircraft to 1500 miles per hour. One witness said he saw later five of six of these things orbiting in a small area. Dec.
18, 1952; Oak
Ridge, Tennessee
Cat
9. Radar-visual
(NICAP source)
Dec.
18, 1952
Brad
Sparks:
Dr. H. Marshall Chadwell, director of the CIA Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI), notifies the DCI (Director of Central Intelligence) Gen. Walter Bedell Smith, that the Robertson Panel was being postponed (indefinitely or to at least March 1953 or later) in order to give the AF contractor Battelle Memorial Institute enough time to complete its statistical study of all of Blue Book's UFO case files. In meeting with Chadwell at Blue Book on Dec. 12 Battelle's Dr. Howard Cross had pleaded with CIA to postpone the Robertson Panel so Battelle would have time to finish its study and Chadwell and Robertson agreed to do so. (But within days, evidently after getting pressure from the AF, the DCI overruled the postponement and put it back on the fast track for the AF-manipulated rush to judgment.) (Brad Sparks) Dec. 19, 1952; Anderson AFB, Guam (BBU) 6:50
[8:50?] a.m. USAF
crew of B-17 bomber and ground
witnesses saw a silvery cylindrical object. (BB Status Rpt)
Dec
22, 1952
Brad
Sparks:
Ruppelt found out the CIA Robertson Panel was back on again after being shelved the previous two weeks. Apparently under pressure from the AF which was setting a trap to embarrass the CIA with sensational IFO cases dressed up as "best" Unknown UFO cases, the CIA Director, Gen. Walter Bedell Smith, reversed CIA/OSI's decision to postpone the Panel meeting till March 1953 or later. DCI Smith ordered the Robertson Panel to be carried out immediately (as the AF had ordered through the IAC). Thus a rush-to-judgment Panel would have no time to reflect on the AF trickery involved in the IFO's-as-UFO's deception and would just react in dismissive skepticism that there was no scientific evidence for UFO reality, and hence no reason for CIA to intrude into the AF's jurisdiction over air intelligence matters such as unidentified aerial threats (UFO's). Ruppelt called ADC (Air Defense Command) to say that he would not be able to conduct the ADC UFO briefing tour as previously scheduled, due to the CIA meeting now tentatively set in early Jan. 1953 (he confirmed the call by teletype Dec 23). (Brad Sparks) Dec.
22, 1952; Larson
AFB, Moses Lake, Wash. [??] (BBU)
7:30
p.m. Instrument
technician stopped his car to watch a
hat-shaped glowing object rising vertically in odd spurts right and
left, then level off at high speed, glowing white with a red side when
rotated, and halfway through a roll no light, then held stationary in
the sky with jumpy movements, S of Jupiter (which was to the SSE at
about 151° azimuth 53° elevation). 15 mins. (Battelle Unknown
No. 6)
Dec.
24, 1952; Camp
Carson, Colo. (BBU)
(McDonald
list)
Dec.
28, 1952;
Marysville, Calif. (BBU 2302)
Civilian
witness(es).
Case missing. (NARA)
Dec. 28, 1952; Albuquerque,
New
Mexico (BBU)
11:09
[9:16?] p.m.
Military pilot saw an elongated
cigar like object the size of a medium bomber traveling E to W. 12
secs. (BB Status Rpt; FUFOR Index)
Dec.
29 [28?], 1952;
Chitose AFB [Misawa AFB? Hokkaido?],
Japan
(BBU) [CCL Item #13]
7:30
[7:39? 7:48?] p.m.
USAF crews of B-26 (Ashley and Wood)
and F-84G (Col. Howard Blakeslee) saw object emitting 3 beams of light
and tracked on airborne radar. 7 mins. (Weinstein; FUFOR Index)
Dec.
29, 1952; 35 miles
W of Amarillo near Vega, Texas
and
ESE of Tucumcari, New Mexico (BBU)
9:05
p.m. (CST). USAF
Capt. William T. Bowley and Capt.
Herbert T. Lange, both of Perrin AFB, Texas, piloting a B-26 on a
training flight headed W at 257° at 6,000 ft altitude and 250 knots
(300 mph) saw a extremely large and intense bright round bluish-white
light with frequent green tints, no trail or exhaust or aerodynamic
features, about 3x the size of a C-54 (or about 350 ft) at a distance
of possibly 40 miles at their 11 o'clock position paralleling their
course at about the same altitude 6,000 ft heading forward but closing
with the B-26. After 5 mins object suddenly climbed vertically 7,000 ft
in 5 secs [1,400 ft/sec average, or peak velocity about 2,000 mph at
about 17 g's] to disappear in thin broken overcast clouds at 13,000 ft
and causing the clouds to glow as if lit by searchlight. Bowley radioed
the CAA controller in Tucumcari, N.Mex. Shortly after, the object
reappeared under the clouds, the CAA controller was told to look for it
but couldn't see it [probably because he was told to look in the wrong
direction, to the SW, or it was obscured by clouds], after 2 mins it
climbed to the W and disappeared. 7-10 mins. (Jan Aldrich)
Dec.
30, 1952; Terrigal,
New South Wales, Australia (BBU)
12
noon. RAAF Wing
Commander Tomkins and wife and child
[Alexander?] saw an extremely brilliant carbon-arc bright object to the
E about 7.5° elevation in very slow level flight to the left or N
for about 1 min over about 8° of arc, estimated at about 2,000 ft
height and 2 miles away. Object suddenly turned E and departed away
from the observers at high speed disappearing in about 20 secs. 1 min
20 secs. (Jan Aldrich; FUFOR Index)
Dec.
31, 1952; NE of
Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico. (BBU)
4:50
[4:45?] a.m. USAF
crew of RB-36 saw a large
redorange ball of light pass the plane. (Weinstein; FUFOR Index)
The summer 1952 UFO sighting wave was one of the largest of all time, and arguably the most significant of all time in terms of the credible reports and hardcore scientific data obtained. Electromagnetic (EM) effects and physical trace evidence were more prominent in other waves, but 1952 (and 1953) featured recurring radar detection of UFOs, often from both ground and airborne radar, visual sightings by jet interceptor pilots sent up to pursue the mysterious objects, and cat-and-mouse chases in which the UFOs seemed to toy with the interceptors. 1.
Edward J. Ruppelt - Summer of
the Saucers - 1952, Intro, XIII (Mike
Hall & Wendy Connors)
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