Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the United States, 1949

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ANALYSIS OF FLYING OB ECT INCIDENTS IN THE U. S.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
PROBLEM
1. TO EXA:MlNE pattern of tactics of "Flying Saucers" (hereinafter referred to as flying objects)
and to develop conclusions as to the possibility of existence.
FACTS AND DISCUSSION
2. A DETAILED discussion of information bearing on the problem as set forth above 1s attached
as Appendix "A". The main points established therein are summarized below.
3. THE FREQUENCY of reported incidents, the similarity in many of the characteristics attributed
to the observed objects and the quality of observers considered as a whole, support the contention
that some type of flying object has been observed. Approximately 210 incidents have been reported.
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Among the observers reporting on such incidents are trained and experienced U.S. Weather Bureau
personnel, USAF rated officers, experienced civilian pilots, technicians associated with various re­
search projects and technicians employed. by commercial airlines.
4. THE POSSIBILITY that reported observations of flying objects over the U.S. were influenced by
previous sightings of unidentified phenomena in Europe, particularly over Scandinavia 1n 1948, • and
that the observers reporting such incidents may have been interested in obtaining personal pubUcity
have been considered as possible explanations. However, these posslb111t1es seem to be improbable
when certain selected reports such as the one from U.S. Weather Bureau at Richmond are examined.
During observations of weather balloons at the Richmond Bureau, one well trained observer has
sighted strange metallic disks on three occasions and another observer has sighted a similar object
on one occasion. The last observation of un1denttf1ed objects was in Apr1i, 1947.
On all four occa­
sions the weather balloon and the unidentified objects were in view through the theodolite. These
observations at the Richmond Bureau occurred several months before publ1city on the flying saucers
appeared in a U.S. newspaper.
5. DESCRIPTIONS OF the flying objects fall lnto three configurat1on categories:
(1) disk-shaped
(2) rough cigar-shaped {3) balls of fire. Varying conditions of visibility and differences in angles
at which the objects may have been viewed introduces a possibility that a single type object may
have been observed rather than three different types. This possibility is further substantiated by
the fact that 1n the areas where such objects have been observed the ratio of the three general
configurations is approximately the same.
6. THEREFORE, IT appears that some object has been seen; however, the identification of that
object cannot be readily; accomplished on the basis of information reported on each incident. It
ls possible that the object, or objects, may have been domestically launched devices such as weather
balloons, rockets, experimental flying wlng aircraft, or celestial phenomena. It is necessary to
obtain information on such domestic activity to confirm or deny this possibility. Depending upon
the degree with which this may be accomplished, foreign devices must then be considered as a
..
possibility.
7. THE PATTERN of sightings is definable. Sightings ~ave been most intense throughout the states
bordering the Atlantic and Pacific coast lines, and the central states of Ohio and Kentucky. A map
showing location of sightings is attached as Appendix "B"
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