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DOW-UAP-D102: Project Blue Book File on Tremonton Film, Utah, 1952

Department of War · 2026-09-18 · 156 pages · text from the file's own layer

This Department of War release reproduces Project Blue Book records on the Tremonton, Utah film of 2 July 1952. In them, Navy Chief Photographer Delbert C. Newhouse explains how he filmed a group of bright objects near Tremonton. ATIC memos and a December 1952 travel report record Navy and General Mills balloon specialists judging that the objects closely resembled pillow balloons. A January 1953 memorandum discusses publicly releasing the film. The file also includes unrelated sighting reports from Phoenix and Massachusetts, plus material about Donald Keyhoe.

  • p. 126 …The ol'lginal Air Force concluaion. ■ ed on the interrogation of witn •• •s0 and th evaluation…
  • p. 127 …Monts in the Air Force Presa Room in the Pentagon.. JOHN G. ERIKSEN Colonel, USAF Deputy…
~UNCLAS.SIFIEO DEC 5 1952
From 34 measurements taken from Part III of the film,
the maximum and minimum per frame were 0.2889 and 0.0667mm
respectively with a mean shift of 0.1729mm. On this basis
the mean velocity is 653.5 mph. Differences in mean vel
ocities due to assumption of variance in distance from the
observer may be determined by x/5 times 653.5.
lOa. There is no recurring pattern in the relative
position of the objects in formation. It appears, however,
as if the shift in relative positions were regular and that
the original formation would be recovered if the continuing
action had been recorded. This should be substantiated or'
refuted upon completion of the stereoscopic study.
b. Comments held in abeyance
c. Comments held in abeyance
d. Comments held in abeyance
e. Yes
f . Comments held in abeyance
g. Certain objects disappear while still well within
the field of view.
4. Discussion. There are many theories and conditions
concerning the images photographed ~hich can be explained
as natural phenomena. In the analysis conducted, no attempt
is made to explain the phenomena nor are the comments tem
pered by knowledge of present day science (although its
influence was felt). Comments are as seen, as analyzed,
and as computed; and as such, are partly at variance with
the natural phenomena theories.
a. Light Source. The opinion that these images are
light sources is based on the time they can be viewed
continuously on the film, approximately 90 seconds, and
on the a.Dgle through which they were photographed, approx
imately 60 degrees. It is felt that if these images were
reflected light, blinking would occur during a period of
90 seconds while passing through an angle of 60 degrees
when photographed at the rate of 16 frames per second.
Although this premise would permit aircraft and balloons
to be the source, they are ruled out because of the velocity
determination. If aircraft is assumed to be close enough
to permit velocities of present aircraft, they would be
close enough for positive identification. If they are too
far away for positive identification, then the velocity is
too great for any aircraft as we know them.
b. Color. Colors were noted as shades of red, green, •
blue .and- lu h-white. It appears however, that except for
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Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 156 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.