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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# Air Force Asks Reports on 'Saucers'

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27. (U.P.I.) The Air Force has sent its commands a new warning to treat sightings of unidentified flying objects (U. F. O.'s) as "serious business" directly related to the nation's defense, it was learned today.

An Air Force spokesman confirmed issuance of the directive after portions of it were made public by a private "flying saucer" research group.

The new regulations were issued by the Air Force in-

The regulations, updating similar ones issued in the past, outlined procedures and said that "investigations and analysis of U. F. O.'s are directly related to the Air Force's responsibility for the defense of the United States."

Existence of the document was revealed by the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena.

The big-name, privatelyfinanced committee accused the Air Force of deception in

publicly describing unidentified-flying-object reports as delusions and hoaxes while sending the private admonition to its commands.

Vice Adm. R. H. Hillenkoetter (ret.), a N. I. C. A. P. board member and former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, said in a statement that a photo-copy of the inspector general's warning had been sent to the Senate Space Committee.

"It is time for the truth to be brought out in open congressional hearing," Hillenkoetter said.

SEATTLE TIMES

FEB 28 1960

PAGE 6 COL 5

COPY SENT TO BUREAU

SEARCHED...INDEXED...

SERIALIZED...FILED...

FEB 28 1960

4665

100-18945-79

ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED

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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.