The Navy asked stations to report discs

This is a 13 December 1948 Fifth Naval District letter forwarding an order from the Chief of Naval Operations that all stations report sightings of flying discs, because another wave of reappearances was expected soon. The directive is plain: report what you see. That it existed shows the phenomenon had become official enough to need a reporting channel. A directive is not belief. It is a way to keep surprises from staying informal.

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