Project Blue Book File on Tremonton Film, Utah, 1952

This U.S. Air Force Project Blue Book file compiles 1952 and 1953 messages, memos and reports on the movie film Navy Chief Photographer Delbert C. Newhouse shot on 2 July 1952 near Tremonton, Utah. It records interviews with Newhouse's family, requests about the film, and Navy and General Mills balloon experts judging that the objects closely resembled pillow balloons. It also covers internal debate about releasing the film to the press. Unrelated reports from Phoenix, Lexington and Highland Park sightings are included too.

From the source:Release of 2026-09-18 Incident: 7/2/52, Tremonton, Utah. This document records the Project Blue Book investigation and subsequent assessments of an incident near Tremonton, Utah, on July 2, 1952. Project Blue Book was a 1952-1969 U.S. Air Force program to investigate the nature and origin of unidentified flying objects (UFOs). The file describes the Air Force’s assessment of the principal witness, Delbert C. Newhouse, a U.S. Navy Warrant Officer specializing in photography, as honest and reliable, and as an expert with more than 1,000 hours of aerial-photography experience. Newhouse reported observing 12 to 14 reflective objects and recorded the event on color motion-picture film using a handheld Bell & Howell Auto Master camera. The file reflects an evolving Air Force assessment of the imagery over several years. Early documentation considered several possible explanations, including sunlight reflecting from birds or balloons, and a mirage effect, and did not identify the objects conclusively. Later assessments became more confident that the objects were seabirds reflecting sunlight, citing identifiable seabirds and similar films showing seabirds as bright points of light under comparable conditions. However, the film’s limited detail and lack of fixed reference points prevented reliable determination of the objects’ distance, size, altitude, or linear speed from the film alone. AARO Comment: The file contains conflicting references to the film format. Several documents describe a 35mm film, while contemporaneous submission documentation identifies the original as a 50-foot roll of processed 16mm Kodachrome color motion-picture film recorded with a handheld Bell & Howell Auto Master camera. Newhouse reported exposing approximately 30 feet of the roll during the incident and using the remaining film later that day to record unrelated mountain scenery in Idaho. Other records show that 35mm positive and negative duplicate blowups were produced from the original 16mm material. The file also indicates that the original film was duplicated for preservation, citing its deteriorating condition. The footage retained by the National Archives and Records Administration and presented in this collection as DOW-UAP-PR159 is a digitization of a 16mm print.

DEC 5 1952UNCLASSIFIED
the bluish-white, the colors noted are due to color aber
rations in the lens and to processing defects, and are not
of the objects themselves which can be observed throughout
the entire or major portion of the film. It should be
pointed out at this point that unless an image appeared in
at least five successive frames, it was regarded as a pro
cessing defect. This process of elimination left only 11
images analyzed as the objects.
c. Velocity. In the determination of the velocity
of the objects, two assumptions were made; (a) the camera
was held steady during Part III of the fim, and (b) the
objects were movi~ perpendicular to theoptical axis. It
is obvious that (bJ 1s a fallacy; however, this assumption
will give the minimum velocity and that the actual velocity
is greater than computed. It may be possible to apply a
correction factor after the completion of the stereoscopic
study, although thi s is doubtful . With these assumptions
and knowing the focal length of the camera, the only unknown
in the determination of the velocity is the distance from
the observer to the object. This was arbitrarily set at
five miles.
d. Size, Pattern and Formation. Analysis ha.snot
progressed to the stage where the relative sizes of these
images can be stated. This applies also to patterns and
formations although it appears as if they do occur. It
is expected that stereoscopic analysis of the objects will
furnish much information on this subject.
5. Reference (b) requested interpretation of additional
movies, approximately 10 feet, taken in Montana, 1950. This
film is also in poor condition but is suitable for analyzing
the movie. One plot wa.s made of the light path in the area
where stationary objects are visible to hold to as control.
Analysis of this movie is not sufficiently complete to offer
any comment other than the pa.th of light is undulating and
. is similar to that plotted for the Utah movie. In the ana
lysis of the Montana movie it will be most helpful if the
following information can be furnished~
a.. Focal length of taking lens.
b. Location and actual distance of observer to
the center of the tower.
c . Dimensions of the tower.
d. Lengths of bracing on the tower .
e. :Vertical spacing of the bracing or the spacing
between bracing measured along the legs of the tower.
It is felt that, since this movie was taken in 1950, the
DOWNGRADED AT s
DECLAsSIFIED A};"'~:nJ.r-.~vA~;
-4- DOD DIR 6200.10 EARS.
UNCLASSIFIED
DECLASSIFIED Authority NND 923007