Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the United States, 1949

APPENDIX "C"
SELECTED REPORTS OF FLYING OBJECT INCIDENTS
1. A NUMBER of reports on unidentified flying objects come from observers who, because of their
technical background and experience do not appear to be influenced by unfounded sensatlonallsm nor
inclined to report explainable phenomena as new types of airborne devices. Some of the details of
their reports are presented in this appendix, along with those from possibly less reliable sources
who have reported evidence which 1s of. such a nature that it cannot be entirely ignored.
2. DESCRIPTIONS OF significant incidents, arranged chronologically, follow:
a. During April 1947, two employees of the Weather Bureau Station at Richmond, Virginia re
ported seeing a strange metallic disk on three occasions through the theodolite while making PIBAL
observations. One observation was at 16,000 feet when a disk was followed for 15 seconds. The
disk appeared metallic, shaped something like an ellipse with a flat bottom and a round top. It
appeared below the balloon and was much larger in size. The disk appeared to be moving rather
rapidly, aithough it was impossible to estimate its speed. The other observations were made at
27,000 feet in like manner.
b. The following month, Byron B. Savage, a field engineer for Radio Corporation of America,
reported a disk flying near his home in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The object was thought to be
at an altitude between 10,000 feet and 18,000 feet, and was moving toward the north at a high rate
of speed, leaving no trailing effects.
c. While flylng at 10,000 feet on a course of 300 degrees, 30 miles northwest of Lake Meade,
Nevada, an Air Force lieutenant rE:tported seeing flve or six white circular objects in close forma
tion and traveling at an estimated speed of 286 miles per hour. This sighting occurred on 28 June
1947.
d. The followl.ng day a party of three, two of them scientists, were motoring along Highway 17
toward the White Sand, New Mexico, V-2 firing grounds and reported seeing a large disk or sphere
moving horizontally at a high speed and an estimated altitude of 10,000 feet. It was of uniform
shape and had no protruding surfaces such as wings. The object was in sight for about 60 seconds
before 1t disappeared to the northeast. The three observers agreed on the details of the sighting
except that one thought he had seen vapor trails.
e. On 7 July 1947, five Portland, Oregon police officers reported varying numbers of disks fly
ing over differell.t parts of the city. All observations were made within a minute or two of 1305
hours.
f. On the same day, William Rhoads of Phoenix, Arizona. allegedly saw a disk ci'rcling his
locality during sunset and took two photographs. The resulting pictures (page 9) show a disk-like
object with a round front and a square tail in plan torm. These photographs have been examined
by experts who state they are true photographic images and do not appear to be imperfection ln
the emulsion or imperfections 1n the lens. (See Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4.)
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