Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the United States, 1949

This declassified Air Intelligence Report No. 100-203-79 is a Top Secret study by the Directorate of Intelligence, Headquarters USAF, and the Office of Naval Intelligence, dated 10 December 1948. It looks at about 210 reported flying object incidents and concludes that some type of flying object has been observed, though what the objects are and where they come from cannot be determined. It considers domestic devices or Soviet aircraft based on German flying wing designs, and its appendices cover selected reports, explained cases and flying wing aircraft.

From the source: Release of 2026-07-10 Incident: 4/28/49, Virginia. This file contains a U.S. Air Force (USAF) Air Intelligence Division study, “Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the United States,” Study No. 203, dated 04/28/1949. The analysis includes an assessment of various reported unidentified flying object (UFO) incidents and theories to account for their nature and origin. Overall, the study assesses that “it appears that some object has been seen; however, the identification of that object cannot be readily accomplished.” The study offers that two “reasonable” origins might account for the phenomena: technologies of a domestic or foreign origin. It also suggests that, if foreign, it is prudent for the United States to assume that UFO observations are attributable to scientific, military, or intelligence activities of the Soviet Union, and, in that case, to take seriously the threat such objects may pose. The file also contains selected contemporary UFO reports and examples of experimental “flying wing” type aircraft planforms that might account for certain commonly reported UFO characteristics. AARO Comment: This file appears to be a later revision of the file contained in DOW-UAP-D093, whose content is substantively similar.

g. On 10 July lQ-4?, Mr. Wocilrutf, a Pan-American Airways mechanic reported a clrcula.r object
flying at high velocUy, parallelln,r the earth's surface and leavitli a trail which appeared ns a
"hurnini \Ip" of the cloud formation. The sl,.bt1ng occurred near Ha:rmo11 Fteld, Newfo\U1dle.nd.
Two other perso11s also saw !htl trail which remained ln the aky for about nn hour and was phot<,
gr..phed by another PAA employee. Tha reault!ng photograph• eu.,port M:r. Woodrutf'e obtm:rvation
as fa.r as the eky oleava&e Is co11cerlled. (Sea E'lgs. e and 6.)
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Fig. 5
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