FOIA: Air Intelligence Report Analysis of Flying Objects Incidents in US

Air_Intelligence_Report_203.pdf
Analysis of Flying Objects Incidents in the United States December 1948
Mostly Readable Scans of once "TOP SECRET" Air Intelligence Report on the Analysis of Flying Objects Incidents in the United States, Study 203,
Document date: 1948-12-10
Department: USAF Air Intelligence Division
Author: Unknown
Document type: Report
pages: 32

 

Archivist's Notes: Once considered Top Secret The Air Intelligence Report on the Analysis of Flying Objects Incidents in the US covers sightings of flying objects up to August of 1948, Selected Reports of Flying Objects from credible witnesses and images of Flying Winged Type Aircrafts from Germany, Britain and US. Assumptions were made that flying objects were possibly of Soviet origin and large section is dedicated to hypothetical tactics of the Soviets. Mainly names blacked out, images included are not of great quality

 

[edit on 2/20/2008 by JacKatMtn]

This document is a larger version of the FOIA file named Memo; Flying Objects Incidents in the USA November 1948. Is issued about a month later and goes into more details regarding unidentified flying objects, investigations taken in the regard, witnesses, testimonies, physical evidences, radar evidences etc. Analyzes the phenomena in four different appendixes as follows:

A. ANALYSIS OF FLYING OBJECT INCIDENTS IN THE U.S. AND HYPOTHETICAL TACTICS EMPLOYED

B. REPORTED SIGHTINGS OF FLYING OBJECTS AS OF 1 AUGUST 1948

C. SELECTED REPORTS OF FLYING OBJECT INCIDENTS

D. FLYING WING TYPE AIRCRAFT

The whole document contains reports and also pics and hand drawings of the unknown flying objects.

Is interesting to mention that at the time Kenneth Arnold was making news around the world, USAF had already files on UFOs and detailed reports from the populace in USA. In the document is stated that they were reports for disc shaped objects as early as April 1947.

ATS related thread: Memo; Flying Objects Incidents in the USA November 1948

[edit on 20-2-2008 by Telos]

I found very interesting the explanations in the appendixes so let me write some excerpts from each of them.

A.

1. INTRODUCTION.

To formulate the possible tactics of flying objects reported over the U.S. assumes from the outset that firm conclusions have been reached on both the existence and origin of the reported flying objects. The current status of information on such incidents and over-all analysis does not allow substantiation for such conclusions. However, the lack of such firm conclusions points to the necessity for an immediate and sound statistical analysis of every aspect of the situation and does not preclude a concurrent examination of the reported incidents to develop explanations of their possible tactics. The latter will be useful at some future date should the existence and origin of the flying objects be definitely established. Therefore, the following analysis of available information is advanced in order to present evidence on the actual existence of some type flying object and to relate same to tactical purposes for which the objects are possibly designed. The foll owing discussion must be considered a provisional analysis, pending a further detailed analysis of all aspects of the problem.

2. SOME ASPECTS REGARDING FLYING OBJECT INCIDENTS.

A cursory examination of evidence on reported incidents has been made and it is possible to cite certain generalities which it appears may be borne out when detailed analyses have been completed. Among the incidents reported there are many statements by reliable and experienced persons which tend to confirm that flying objects have been seen. The description of such objects seems to fall roughly into three categories: (1) Silver disks or balls, approximating a Horten wing type aircraft; (2) Balls of fire of various colors and intensities; (3) Cigar or pencil-shaped objects similar in appearance to V-2 type rockets in horizontal flight. The numbers of configurations might be further reduced with the following considerations in mind: Silver disks or balls have, for the greater part, been observed in daylight and a number under clear weather conditions with visibility unlimited. In most instances, balls of fire have been observed at night. Cigar, or pencil-shaped objects have been sighted in fewer numbers but with about equal distribution in daylight and at night. A few accounts tell of the disks having a rough cigar-shape when viewed while maneuvering.

The above tends to indicate that some type object has been seen and the possibility exists that the object or objects seen are conventional domestic devices, such as weather balloons, test rockets, or jet-equipped aircraft with pancake or flying wing configurations. The possibility exists that the reporting of flying objects may have been influenced by earlier reports on similar incidents in Scandinavia and Central Europe. The publication in newspaper of details on such incidents, both foreign and domestic, may have induced some of the description provided in reported domestic incidents. However, one of the earliest reported sightings in the U.S. was the one observed by U.S. Weather Bureau personnel in April 1947, at Richmond, Virginia, and on the basis of this one report it appears that the disks are not balloons. It would seem that this sighting was not influenced by the reports of foreign incidents, the newspaper accounts of domestic incidents, nor by misidentification of a conventional object.


B.

In the appendix B we have reports showing maps of sightings of UFO and their specific shapes (note that here we have one more then in the previous document linked in the above post).

* Disks

* Rough Cigar Shapes

* Ball of Fire

* Cone of Fire

* Configuration Undetermined


C.

1. A number of reports on unidentified flying objects come from observers who, because of their technical background and experience do not appear to be influenced by unfounded sensationalism nor inclined to report explainable phenomena as new types of airborne devices. Some of the details of their reports are presented in this appendix, along with those from possibly less reliable sources who have reported evidence which is of such a nature that it cannot be entirely ignored.

2. Descriptions of significant incidents, arranged chronologically, follow:

a. During April 1947, two employees of the Weather Bureau Station at Richmond, Virginia reported seeing a strange metallic disk on three occasions through the theodolite while making PIBAL observations. One observation was at 15,000 feet when a disk was followed for 15 seconds. The disk appeared metallic, shaped something like an ellipse with a flat bottom and a round top. It appeared below the balloon and was much larger in size. The disk appeared to be moving rather rapidly, although it was impossible to estimate its speed. The other observations were made at 27,000 feet in like manner.

b. The following month, Byron B. Savage, a field engineer for Radio Corporation of America, reported a disk flying near his home in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The object was thought to be at an altitude between 10,000 feet and 18,000 feet, and was moving toward the north at a high rate of speed, leaving no trailing effects.

c. While flying at 10,000 feet on a course of 300 degrees, 30 miles northwest of Lake Meade, Nevada, an Air Force lieutenant reported seeing five or six white circular objects in close formation and traveling at an estimated speed of 285 miles per hour. This sighting occurred on 28 June 1947.

d. The following day a party of three, two of them scientists, were motoring along Highway 17 toward the White Sand, New Mexico, V-2 firing grounds and reported seeing a large disk or sphere moving horizontally at a high speed and an estimated altitude of 10,000 feet. It was of uniform shape and had no protruding surfaces such as wings. The object was in sight for about 60 seconds before it disappeared to the northeast. The three observers agreed on the details of the sighting except that one thought he had seen vapor trails.

e. On 7 July 1947, five Portland, Oregon police officers reported varying numbers of disks flying over different parts of the city. All observations were made within a minute or two of 1305 hours.

f. On the same day, William Rhoads of Phoenix, Arizona allegedly saw a disk circling his locality during sunset and took two photographs. The resulting pictures (page 9) show a disk-like object with a round front and a square tail in plan form. These photographs have been examined by experts who state they are true photographic images and do not appear to be imperfection in the emulsion or imperfections in the lens. (See Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4.)


D.

1. Aeronautical Engineers in several countries have been engaged for some time in the design, construction and flight of flying wing type aircraft. The study of flying objects requires, at least, a brief examination of proposed and existing unconventional aircraft whose configurations, when seen by the the uninitiated, could lead to reports of strange flying devices. A description of some of the more significant types by country follows.

2. Germany. At the end of World War II, German aircraft designers had numerous projects under way concerning tailless aircraft which conceivably could be mistaken for "Flying Saucers" or disc-like objects. It is not clear just what the Soviets are doing in the way of developing these projects but it is considered that German studies on tailless, delta-wing, and related configurations are available to the U.S.S.R.

3. Great Britain with The Armstrong Whitworth The AW 52 G, a glider, and the AW 52, a twin-jet airplane, are British designs of tailless aircraft. The vertical stabilizers are located at the tips of the swept-back wing.

4. Usa with Northrop B-35, Northrop YB-49, Chance-Vought XF5U, Arup Tailles Monoplane.

In the document even though not clear, are found the pics of all the above types of crafts.