Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the United States, 1949

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Although reported domestic incidents are widely scattered throughout the U.S., frequency of
sighting and number of observers per sighting assumes a definable pattern. There ls a large con­
centration of sightings along the Eastern Seaboard; another large concentration throughout the
Western Coast states, and a few sightings in the Middle West. Distribution of. incidents by con-
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figuration af object and description of maneuverability is approximately equal 1n each of these
areas and this ls belleved to further substantiate the possibility that one type of object might have
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been observed In dl:fferent aspects of flight.
?f sightings are induced by rumor, it seems unusual that more incidents have not been reported
from the areas with high concentration of population. Reports from such areas would also have
greater facility 1n channeling either to newspaper or official reporting agencies. For the most part,
sightings have been made in fairly open country where there are few restrictions to visibility, which
may indicate that obstructed vision has reduced sightings 1n bullt-up areas.
It therefore seems that some type of flying object has been observed; the ldentlftcatlon of
its origin requires the compet1on of other analyses.
3. POSSIBLE ORlGIN OF UNUSUAL FLYING O
CTS. Provided, upon the completion of. analyses,
it is'ln<nciite~ffiar-iroi:ne01::-S:!rof'truri:wor1:ec
bjects over the U.S. are of foreign origin,
the objects could from a logical viewpoint, be considered Soviet. It is evident' from the pertorm­
ance characteristics attributed to the unidentified objects at this time that if they are foreign, they
involve efficiencies of performance which have not been realized in any operational airborne device
in this country. It would, therefore, be a mistake to analyze the technical aspects of the situation
within the limits of our own knowledge of practical developments. n ls more desirable to consider
then the outer limits of possible .soviet developments and objectives ln attempting to formulate some
idea of the tactics which might be involved.
First of all, the scientific objectives of the U .S.S.R. have been stated many times and Jndicated
1n many forms. The most clearcut statement of this objective ls probably the one contained in the
preamble to the Fourth Five-year Plan (1946-1950} which states that the objective of Soviet .science
ls to overtake and surpass the scientific and technical developments of the capitalist nations. It
apparently would be an impossible task for the Soviet Union to accomplish such an objective by pro­
ceeding step-by-step along the same lines of development already achieved in the capitalist nations.
This would mean that. lt would be necessary to rapidly proceed through each phase of aeronautical
development that has already been accomplished in this country, and this
obably would never• have
any prospects of accelerating Soviet development beyond any point reach
by the U.S. The obvious
answer to accomplish their objective of not only overtaking, but surpassing the capitalist countries
would be a scient1flc shortcut. This possibllity ls not so remote when examined on the basis of
our knowledge of the current situation 1n the U .S.S.R. Provided Soviet emphasis was given to the
most promising and advanced ideas acquired from Germany 1n 1946 and the work aided by German
scientists, the possibility of catching up and possibly .surpassing other nations 1n technical develop­
ments becomes more realistic. • It becomes even more realistic l:f the Soviets have shown a tendency
to concentrate on certain developments which have still not received a maximum of priority in our
own programs.
n 1s known that the U.S.S.R. has since 1945 enlisted the services of Dr. Guenther Bock, a
German who headed all development of low aspect ratio (flying wing) type aircraft in Germany.
Dr. Bock is believed to be the top German scientist In charge at TSAGI and TSIAM which are
"Air Materiel Command" type organizatlons ln the U.S.S.R. Further, it is believed that Dr. Bock
has made available all German plans for flying wing type aircraft to the Soviets. Among the de­
signs considered by the Germans and possibly explolted by the U.S.S.R., are jet-propelled, flying
wing type aircraft whose configuration would be similar to descriptions of certain objects reported
flying over the U.S. The estimated speeds of such aircraft are within range of the lower limits.
of speed attributed to flying objects over the U.s. It ls not impossible that emphasis on surpassing
foreign developments has led to unusual progress 1n fuels and propulsion by the U .S.S.R. In con­
nection with possible advancements 1n the field at fuels and propulsion, it should be observed that
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