Documents / Official release

Washington State ‘UFO’ Investigation, 1952-1960

Federal Bureau of Investigation · 1952 · 55 pages · text by GLM-OCR

This Federal Bureau of Investigation Seattle field office file (100-18945) gathers flying saucer material from 1952 to 1960. It holds newspaper clippings, citizen complaint forms and agent memoranda about sightings over Pasco, Kennewick, Seattle, Richland and the Hanford reservation, Spokane and other Washington locations. The file records 1952 agreements with military intelligence on passing reports to OSI and the Air Force. One Hanford sighting from 1953 was attributed to a meteorological balloon. The FBI itself carried out no investigations.

From the source:Release of 2026-06-12 Incident: July 1952-1960, Washington State, United States. This file details an investigation of various sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) in Washington state between July 1952 and August 1960. This file includes memoranda and correspondence between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Air Force regarding UFO sightings.

  • p. 4 …was held at the offices of Col. SPENCER RAYNOR, Commanding Officer, 20th District, Office of Special…
  • p. 10 …The above information was furnished to Colonel SPENCER RAYNOR, OSI; to SA SULLIVAN of IFO #3…
  • p. 15 # 1015 Second Avenue Seattle 4, Washington August 10, 1953 Colonel Spencer Raynor Commanding Officer 20th District…
  • p. 24 …Sincerely, 1 Incl Newspaper Clipping Spencer H. Raynor SPENCER W. RAYNOR Colonel, USAF District Commander cc…
  • p. 25 …Dir OSI Sincerely, SPENCER W. RAYNOR Colonel, USAF District Commander
  • p. 27 …Sincerely, 1 Incl Newspaper Clipping Stunned 8 / 25 / 59 col Spencer H. Raynor Sry cc: Dir…
  • p. 33 …Raynor SPENCER W. RAYNOR Colonel, USAF District Commander oo: Dir OSI
  • p. 40 Colonel Spencer W. Raynor, USAF District Commander 20th District, OSI McChord Air Force Base, Washington Re…
  • p. 41 …Colonel Spencer W. Raynor, USAF District Commander, OSI Re: Unidentified Flying Objects Date: June 12, 1956…
  • p. 43 1015 Second Avenue Seattle, Washington October 17, 1956 Colonel Spencer W. Raynor, USAF District Commander 20th…
  • p. 45 # 1015 Second Avenue Seattle 4, Washington November 15, 1957 Colonel Spencer W. Raynor District Commander 20th…

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"Information for this report was received from Senior Controller, GCI Site, TIMOTHY; Senior Controller, Direction Center, MERCURY; Senior Controller, Division Combat Center, LAST CHANCE; the two F-86D pilots; a 25th Air Division pilot who was flying locally in T-33 and who heard all ground-air transmissions between F-86D pilots and ground stations.

## "RELIABILITY

A. (Pronto Blue #2) 2nd Lt Edward E. McBride, 317th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 1124C pilot; approximately 145 hours, of which over half has been in fighter-interceptor work; approximately 270 hours in fighter aircraft; for approximate total hours of 463.

B. (Pronto Blue #1) 2nd Lt Hilson L. Sewell, 317th Fighter Interceptor Squadron; approximately 29 hours in F-86D aircraft; 80 hours (approximately) in fighter aircraft; 251 hours other type aircraft; for a total of 360 hours. The F-86D pilots were interrogated singly by Major Eugene L. Zechmeister, Director of Intelligence and CWO Odin E. Sorensen, Asst Director of Intelligence, within four (4) hours of incident.

C. At the time of first mode return picked up by TIMOTHY, question arose as to possibility of malfunction. The site Tech Representative was on hand and monitored scope. In his opinion, malfunction of radar was definitely ruled out.

D. All weather stations, as well as Seattle AMIS; Navy; Coast Guard; 5 ADDC at Vancouver, B. C. Canada, were checked with negative results, ruling out possibility of weather balloons; boats or ships; or aircraft. One Navy P2V was found to be flying at time, but over one-hundred (100) miles from location of incident. A slight 3 degree inversion at 5,000 feet was present at 1900, but would possibly affect only a limited area.

E. The F-86D pilots were queried at great length in reference to the size and general appearance of blips presented on scopes. Both pilots appeared to have a very clear and firm concept of the difference between the observed blips as opposed to seaborne blips and B-36, B-52 type blips previously encountered.

F. All statements were obtained individually either in person or by telephone, ruling out possibility of subconscious innocent collusion. Superficially, all statements appear to support one another and to coincide.

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About this file

Official release, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 55 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.