The First Active Years: Unsolved Case Files Of Project Blue Book

Project Blue Book was first established in early 1952 but they would still investigate many of the UFO sightings of the start of the Modern UFO era going back to the summer of 1947. However, in the year they officially came into existence, the United States, like many other countries around the world, was experiencing a surge of sightings in what became known as the 1952 Wave. Needless to say, their offices were immediately inundated with new UFO reports, almost daily.

As we shall see, there are many little-known UFO encounters to be found in the Project Blue Book case files that still lack an explanation. And while some of these sightings have little detail, they still make for very interesting reading. Perhaps not least due to the similarities that can be found in many of them to each other.

In this second part of our look at just some of the unsolved UFO reports of the Blue Book files (you can read the first part here), we will examine just a small handful of the ample lesser-known UFO sightings and encounters from 1952 until the end of the decade. And they really do represent only a tiny amount of these unexplained cases on the Blue Book files. We might stop and consider, if we as a collective was to gather in all of the UFO reports from across the decades from every individual organization, UFO publication, and (now) reporting site, just how full a picture of the UFO and alien question we might begin to piece together.

The Surge Of Strange Sightings Of 1952

We have examined the wave of UFO sightings that swept not only the United States but the entire planet in 1952 previously. There are, however, many sightings in the Blue Book files from 1952 that have scant detail but still add that little bit more to the UFO and alien question. ^[1]

For example, at around 10:40 pm on 20th March 1952, a veteran of both the First and Second World Wars – Mr. A D Hutchinson – along with his son, witnessed a “dull, orange-yellow saucer-shaped light” that flew in a perfectly straight line across the sky. It moved with great speed and was visible for around 30 seconds.

Only three days later in Yakima, Washington, at around 7 pm, a pilot and radar operator of an F-94 jet interceptor witnessed what appeared to be a “red fireball” that “increased in brightness and then faded away” again. They witnessed this several times over a 45-second span, and the object was also tracked by radar on the ground.

The following morning, at 8:45 am just outside of Pt. Concepcion in California the navigator and radar operator tracked a similar object that was moving at around 3000 miles per hour for around 30 seconds before disappearing.

Less than a week later on the other side of the Pacific near the Misawa Air Force Base in Japan, a pilot of an AT-6 trainer witnessed a “small, very thin, shiny, metallic disc” at around 11:20 am on 29th March. The object flew alongside the AT-6 for several moments before moving closer to another plane in the area – an F-84 jet fighter. It then flipped on its edge before disappearing at great speed. The entire episode lasted no longer than 10 seconds.

At 10:40 am in Phoenix, Arizona on the 5th April, four local residents – a Mr. and Mrs. Ryan, as well as R. Stokes and D. Schook – witnessed a “large, dull grey circular object” that moved across the sky in a straight line and at incredibly high speed. The object was quickly followed by a second and then a third craft, each the same dimensions as the first.

Later that day, at 9:15 pm on the other side of the United States in Miami, Florida, Mr. VanDercar and his 9-year-old son witnessed “four dark circular objects” that each had “fuzzy edges” and made their way across the glow of the moon.

The following day at just before 3 pm in Temple, Texas, a witness noted as H.L. Russell witnessed between 50 to 75 “grey-white discs” that continually changed position within a solid formation during a sighting that lasted around three minutes.

By mid-April, these sightings were an almost daily occurrence.

UFO Reports Coming In Daily!

At around 9:30 pm on 12th April at North Bay, Ontario, Canada, to members of the Canadian Royal Air Force – Warrant Officer Rossell and Flight Sergeant McRae – witnessed a “round amber object” that flew through the air at great speed before stopping, reversing direction and then climbing high into the sky before disappearing. The strange craft remained in sight for around two minutes.

Two days later, at 12:30 pm over LaCrosse, Wisconsin, an anonymous Cargo Air Lines pilot witnessed several strange lights that were flying in an obvious V-formation. Only six hours later over Memphis, Tennessee, two United States Navy pilots – Lt. Blacky and Lt. O’Neil – saw an “inverted bowl” shaped craft that had several “vertical slots” while they were airborne. The object was no more than 100 yards from the plane and remained so for just short of a minute before speeding into the distance.

The following evening, at 7:40 pm in Santa Cruz, California, a local resident named Mr. Hayes witnessed “two faint objects” flying fast through the sky through his telescope. They remained in sight for no longer than six to eight seconds.

Sightings such as these continued into the summer, by which time, multiple reports were coming in almost every day.

At around 6 pm on 1^st June in Rapid City, South Dakota, multiple people witnessed “five long silver objects” that flew in a box formation. Several hours earlier in Walla, Washington, a former military pilot, W.C. Vollendorf, witnessed an oval-shaped object climb high into the sky before disappearing in approximately seven seconds. Around the same time, also in the state of Washington in Soap Lake, three “glimmering objects” were witnessed flying in a perfectly straight line for around 10 minutes.

Around 24 hours later, this time in the Bayview area of Washington, a local resident, Larry McWade, reported seeing a mysterious purple object overhead (there are no further details on this sighting, including how long the object was visible for). On the same day, over Fulda in West Germany, the photo navigator onboard an RB-26C reconnaissance bomber, John Hendry, witnessed a “porcelain-white object” that kept pace with their plane for a significant amount of time (although the exact time is unknown).

At just before 7 pm on 5^th June in Albuquerque in New Mexico, Sergeant T. Shorey reported a “shiny round object” that made its way through the sky at a speed around six times that of an F-86 fighter jet. Several hours later, in Lubbock, Texas, two local residents – Mr. Benson and Mr. Bacon – witnessed eight “yellow circular objects”, that looked similar to large stars, move across the sky. Two of the objects moved in a trail formation while the remaining six appeared to fly independently of the others. The objects remained visible for three-quarters of an hour. At around the same time at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, several base personnel witnessed a “bright red object” hovering over the facility for just short of five minutes. It then sped away into the distance and disappeared.

Two further sightings were reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico within 24 hours of each other on the 7^th and 8^th June. The first occurred at just after 11 am when the crew of a B-25 bomber witnessed a “rectangular aluminum object” flying through the air below their aircraft. At just before 11 am the following morning, a local husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Marland, made a report of “four shiny objects” that moved overhead in a straight line and in a diamond formation.

From Korea To Kansas

The daily sightings continued throughout the month of June and July, many of which reported disc-like objects, or bright, glowing sphere-shaped craft. As the summer continued, so did the reports. Two cases perhaps stick out a little more than the others, however.

For example, at around 10:45 on 22^nd June at a US military base near the Pyungthek area in Korea, two US Marine Corps sergeants witnessed a strange and seemingly menacing object suddenly dive toward the runway, “shooting red flames” as it did so. ^[2] The object stopped a short distance above the tarmac and hovered for several seconds. It then gave two bright flashes and disappeared.

Perhaps an even more intriguing sighting occurred near Pittsburg in the state of Kansas around two months later at just before 5:30 am on 25^th August. ^[3] On the morning in question, an employee of KOAM Radio, musician, William Squyres, was driving to the radio station ready to start his shift. As he made his way along the quiet roads that morning, though, his attention was suddenly captured by a “large disc-shaped object” that was hovering around 10 feet off the ground in a field approximately 800 feet away from him.

Squyres would recall that the object appeared to rock gently back and forth as it hovered. He estimated that it was around 75 feet long and approximately 45 feet wide and looked very similar to “two turtle shells or two oval meat platters, placed edge to edge”. He also recalled seeing a row of windows running along the side, through which a blue light appeared to shine.

You can see a sketch of the object below.

He would further state that a “series of propellers” was attached to a racket that ran along the side of the object, all of which were evenly spaced and rotated at a very high rate”. He would further describe the color of the object as a “dull aluminum color”. Returning to the windows he would recall that it appeared as though there was some movement taking place behind them but he couldn’t see in any detail what this might be. Aside from one larger window that is. Behind that one, he was certain he could see the silhouette of a humanoid figure that appeared to be watching him.

At this point, he brought his car to a complete stop, exited the vehicle, and then walked toward the object. As he did so, he noticed a distinct “steady, throbbing sound” seemingly coming from the object.

He continued to walk toward the object at a steady pace, more curious than unnerved. However, when he came to within 100 feet of it, the craft suddenly rose into the air, disappearing straight up with alarming speed. A sound similar to a “large covey of quail starting to fly at the same time” accompanied its sudden ascent. Below the craft, the vegetation of the field swayed wildly. Incidentally, when he returned to the site a short time later, he noticed how the vegetation appeared distinctly disturbed where the craft had hovered only hours earlier.

He would make a report of the incident to the local police, who seemingly forwarded it to the US military and it would eventually end up in the Project Blue Book In-Tray.

Ultimately, Squyres asserted that the craft was likely a secret, experimental aircraft of the US military and was likely “piloted by humans and not some men from Mars!” There will likely be many who would disagree with his assessment.

A Constant Blitz Of Reports

Although they perhaps slowed a little, reports of UFOs continued well into the autumn and winter of 1952. For example, the are five unexplained sightings that occurred on 1^st September alone. The first occurred at just before 5 am in Yaak, Montana when two USAF airmen spotted two bizarre lights that appeared to shine various colors. As dawn came, the two lights “became black silhouettes” and began to fly erratically around the sky for an hour before disappearing. The objects were also tracked on radar by three civilians using an AN/FPS-3 radar set.

Several hours later at just before 10 pm in Atlanta, Georgia, Mrs. Davis, along with around nine other people, witnessed a single light in the sky that moved up and down for a considerable amount of time before moving into the distance. 45 minutes later, two separate sightings that potentially be the same object also occurred in Georgia, this time in Marietta. An unidentified resident witnessed two large objects that they claimed were “shaped like spinning tops” and which threw out red, blue, and green colors. They appeared to leave sparks as they moved before disappearing after around 30 minutes. At the same time, Mr. Bowman, along with multiple other people, witnessed a “red, white and blue-green object” which appeared to spin overhead as well as shooting off sparks as it did so. It remained visible for around 15 minutes.

Around 20 minutes later, also in Marietta, a former military gunner, witnessed two “white disc-shaped” objects that appeared to leave “green vapor trails” as they made their way overhead, which they did at a significant pace.

Two weeks later, 14^th September saw another 24-hour period with multiple UFO sightings. Although the exact time isn’t certain, somewhere between Ireland and Iceland on the day in question, multiple military personnel from several different countries who were in the region as part of Operation Mainbrace, witnessed a “blue-green triangle” that made its way overhead at a speed of around 1500 miles per hour.

A short time later over Olmstead Air Force Base in Pennsylvania, the pilot of Flying Tiger Airlines N67977 witnessed a glowing blue object moving through the sky at high speed, narrowly avoiding a collision with the plane. At 7 pm in White Lake, South Dakota, a Ground Observer Course observer, L.W. Barnes, witnessed and reported a “red cigar-shaped object” through his binoculars. It remained visible for around 30 minutes before disappearing into the distance.

Just over 90 minutes later over Santa Barbara, California, the pilot of a USAF C-54 transport plane witnessed a “blue-white light” that travel very fast and completely straight. After around 30 seconds the object shot straight up and disappeared.

Over a period of several hours, beginning at 11:30 pm and stretching to around 2 am the following morning, R.J. Portis witnessed multiple UFOs moving over Ciudad Jaurez in Mexico. The objects, which were sphere or disc-like, were in groups of 12 to 15, and he witnessed six different groups in total. All of them flew in perfect formation.

Sightings would continue regularly for the rest of the year, slowing a little each week as they did so. Without a doubt, 1952 is arguably one of the busiest years for UFO sightings on record.

The Brief Respite Of 1953

As it turned out, 1953 was sandwiched between two of the most active UFO waves in UFO history. However, it was still host to many UFO sightings around the world, not least in the United States. ^[4] And what’s more, they began when the year was not yet 24 hours old.

At around 8:45 pm on 1^st January 1953, in Craig, Montana, Warner Anderson and two female friends witnessed a “silver, saucer-shaped object” that had a red glow to its underside flying low over a nearby river. It then began a fast ascent into the sky before disappearing after around 10 seconds.

A week later at Larson Air Force Base in the state of Washington, several base personnel witnessed a green, disc-shaped object at just after 7 am on 8^th January. The object was clearly seen moving across the early morning sky for around 15 minutes. Two days later, at around 4 pm on 10^th January in Sonoma, California, retired military veteran, Robert McNab and a Federal Security Agent, Mr. Hunter, witnessed a “flat object” making extremely sharp turns overhead before accelerating out of sight.

An extremely intriguing sighting would unfold at around 4 pm on 17^th January just outside of Guatemala City in Guatemala when geologist and salesman, J.J. Sackett, witnessed a “brilliant green-gold object” that he described as being shaped like, but twice as big as the Goodyear blimp. He further claimed the object flew in a perfectly straight line and traveled at a speed of around 400 miles per hour. Then, without warning, it stopped dead and shot straight up all in one motion. In total the object was in sight for a little over 20 seconds.

On the 28^th of January three separate sightings were reported from around the United States – two on the west coast and one further east in the south. The first occurred at around 1 pm at Pt. Mugu in California, a local business owner, R. W. Love, witnessed a white, flat disc that he estimated was around 20 feet across. It flew in a straight line and remained visible for around six minutes.

Around five hours later, also in California in the town of Corona, George Beyer witnessed five green spheres, each around 25 feet across, flying in a V-formation, to begin with before changing to a trail formation. In total, they remained in sight for a little over 10 minutes before disappearing.

Although there is no definite time of the sightings, on the same day in Albany, Georgia, radar personnel tracked a stationary object for around 20 minutes at the same time as a report of an unknown object overhead was received. Unfortunately, there is no further information on this incident.

Many Sightings Involving Military Personnel

Following a very active first month of 1953, sightings continued in abundance, many of which, as we know, remains unexplained. For example, at just after 10 pm on 17^th February over Port Austin in Michigan, several military personnel witnessed a strange object that was described as being “larger and brighter than a star” and which changed color during the course of the incident, which played out over 17 minutes. The object moved calmly and in a controlled fashion over the region for several moments before coming to a temporary stop. It then continued on until it was out of sight.

Only three days later in the Pittsburg-Stockton area of California at around 10:30 pm, two USAF B-25 bomber pilots witnessed what appeared to be two separate bright lights in the sky. The first glowed a yellow color and was visible for around eight minutes. The second was also bright and appeared to be on a direct collision course with their plane. Before colliding, though, it changed course and began to climb, dimming considerably as it did so.

The following week, at just before 12 noon on 27^th February in Shreveport, Louisiana, an anonymous witness (with significant flying experience) witnessed five “yellow discs” that made bizarre “circular turns” in the sky overhead. Three of the objects would vanish after several minutes, leaving the remaining two performing “erratic square turns” for just under five minutes before they too disappeared.

Another intriguing sighting occurred at around 4 am in Hackettstown, New Jersey on 11^th March, when Nina Cook, an experienced private pilot whose husband was also a flight engineer with Pan Am, witness a large light moving “up and down along a mountain range”, blinking as it did so approximately 10 to 15 times a minute.

Three days later, at just before midnight on the evening of 14^th March, just outside Hiroshima in Japan, several crew members of a US Navy P2V-5 patrol plane witnessed several groups of five to 10 lights on the left side of their plane. What’s more, as well as being seen visually, radar operators onboard tracked them for around five minutes also.

A week later, during the afternoon of 21^st March at just after 3 pm in Elmira, New York, six disc-shaped objects were spotted flying at high altitude at an extremely fast pace for several seconds. At around the same time on the 25^th March in San Antonio, Texas, a United States Air Force pilot (Captain Cox) and his wife, reported several strange lights that appeared to fly in a straight line and were visible for around 90 minutes.

Two days later, at just before 7:30 pm in Mt. Taylor, New Mexico, the pilot of a USAF F-86 jet fighter witnessed a bright orange circle head toward him at approximately 900 miles per hour while he himself was traveling around 700 miles per hour. The object then “executed three fast rolls” before heading away from the jet fighter. The pilot pursued the object for around four minutes before finally breaking off the chase.

Two days after that sighting, at just before 4 pm on the 29^th March in Spooner, Wisconsin, a local resident, L.C. Gillette, witnessed an “aluminum circular object” flying high overhead and with great speed. It would twice reverse its course during the 15-second sighting. The report also states, perhaps interestingly, that the witness claims to have seen an identical object almost two decades earlier in 1938.

A Summer Mini UFO Wave

A mini-wave of sightings of the strange aerial objects began in the summer of 1953, with several taking place at United States air force bases, military facilities, or military vehicles around the world. One of these, though, was reported to a base in Okinawa after several Japanese weather observers witnessed a strange light moving slowly across the sky at 7 pm on the evening of 21^st June. No more information is available.

The following morning, at just after 7 am over Goose Air Force Base in Labrador, Canada, the pilot, and radar operator of a USAF F-94 jet interceptor witnessed a mysterious red light moving in excess of 1000 miles per hour. The fighter would give chase to the object but eventually lost it after only five minutes.

Two days later, in Iwo Jima in the Bonin Islands, at around 11:30 pm on 24^th June, the crew of a USAF KB-20 aerial tanker plane tracked an unidentified object that came to within half a mile of their plane. The tracking lasted for around two minutes before the strange object simply disappeared. At almost the exact same time, in Simiutak in Greenland, a weather observer witnessed a red triangle that hovered while rotated for around 15 seconds before it climbed steadily into the sky and then disappeared.

At just after 12 noon on 3^rd August, in Amarillo, Texas, C.S. Brown of the airport control tower, witnessed a “round and reflective or translucent object” which flew in a straight line before stopping for several seconds, and then moving/stopping, in the same manner, several times. It remained in sight for almost an hour before finally shooting off into the distance.

Several weeks later, at around 9 pm on 20^th August, a short distance from Castle Air Force Base in California, the crew of a TB-29 bomber plane reported a “greyish oval object” which made no less than four passes of their aircraft. It then descended, almost directly vertically, and disappeared from view.

A week later over Greenville, Mississippi, at a little before 10 pm, a USAF pilot and several other witnesses saw a “meandering light” from the ground which moved calmly across the sky before disappearing after 50 minutes.

As dramatic as some of the UFO sightings were in 1953, they were nothing compared to the 12 months that followed.

The Next Big Wave: 1954

Much like 1952, we have examined many of the sightings of the 1954 UFO wave previously. And again, while we will not go over some of the more well-known encounters of that year, there are many other, lesser-known, and albeit lesser-detailed sightings that are still worthy of our attention, especially if we wish to build a bigger picture of the overall UFO puzzle. ^[5]

Perhaps one of the strangest UFO sightings of 1954 on the Blue Book files involved Wilhelm Reich, more famous for Orgone Energy. At around 10 am on 28^th January 1954, two bright lights were seen to be moving near Reich’s home and into a nearby valley. They were then viewed to be hovering near the mountains for around 15 minutes.

Not too far away in Newburyport in Massachusetts, at around 2:30 pm on 26^th February, architect, R.M. Pierce, along with marine engineer, George Avery, as well as an anonymous witness, reported a sighting of a “silver disc” which “made a loud roar” and left a “white trail” while moving overhead. It was in sight for less than a minute before it disappeared.

An even more intriguing encounter unfolded at around 4:30 pm on 8^th April in Chicago, Illinois, when local resident, Lelah Stoker, claimed to have seen a “white round-topped disc” that had a “humanoid suspended beneath it”. They watched as the object “skimmed over the water”. Even more remarkable, as it did so “an occupant in a green suit” walked around the top of the object. After the occupant reentered the craft, it rose into the air and shot away with lightning speed.

Several weeks later in Pittsfield, Maine, at around 9:30 am on 23^rd April, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson witnessed a “silver dollar-shaped” craft with a dome on top and a flashing light. What’s more, it made a strange noise “like a swarm of bees”. This detail is one that is extremely interesting as it can be found in several UFO encounters across the decades. What might this sound be and mean? It hovered for several minutes before slowly rising into the air and disappearing out of sight.

The following day, at around 6 pm also in Maine in Hartland, a local resident named D. Robinson (no known relation to the above witnesses) would report a “large silver object” that also had a dome and light that flashed. They would claim the object flew in a straight line for several moments before then going straight up. It was in sight for around 15 minutes and sounds almost identical to that witnessed in Pittsfield the previous morning.

A Persistent And Rapid Increase In Reports

Sightings of strange aerial objects increased as the months of 1954 went on. By the summer, they were being reported almost every day. For example, at just after 10 am on 31^st May in Concord, New Hampshire, Mrs. Stevens witnessed a “white, elongated object” that moved with great speed across the sky before it “blinked out” after around 10 seconds.

The following day, at around 9 pm and at an altitude of 34,000 feet 400 miles south of Minneapolis, Minnesota, the crew of a USAF B-47 jet bomber witnessed a bizarre object with “running lights” that remained with them for almost an hour. A week after that, in the early hours of 8^th June (somewhere between 1 am and 2:30 am) over Texarkana in Texas, an employee of Red River Arsenal witnessed a “golden yellow light” make its way over his home. As it did so, it made a “shh or buzzing” sound.

Two days later, also in Texas in Estacado at around 9 pm, another aerial sighting occurred. On this occasion, USAF pilot, Captain Bill McDonald, witnessed a white light descending seemingly from a great altitude. It would pass underneath his plane before making two complete circles and then disappearing as if someone had turned it out. A similar sighting, although from the ground, unfolded at around 9 pm over Miami Beach in Florida on 22^nd June when two members of the US Marine Corps witnessed a “meteor-like object” suddenly come to a stop before growing in brightness. It remained hovering for around seven minutes before it disappeared.

Two days later, at just before 1 pm in Danvers, Massachusetts, the director of commercial engineering for CBS-Hytron, R.B. Tormer, witnessed a “white elliptical-shaped object” which moved across the sky with great speed. The following afternoon, at around 5 pm on 25^th June at Indian Lake in Ohio, an experienced private pilot, John Mark, was piloting his Navion lightplane when he witnessed a “silver or aluminum round object” that had a “flat bottom” and a “raised front edge” as well as an inverted cone on its top. He would estimate the object was around 60 feet across and after flying horizontally for several moments came to a stop and hovered. Eventually, it began to climb into the skies, reaching such an altitude that it disappeared from sight.

The SS Docteur Angier Encounter

Sightings would become a little more sporadic for several weeks – until mid-August that is. Perhaps one of the first sightings that seemingly proceeded almost daily reports once more occurred at just before 9 pm on 11^th August near Yoron-Jima Island in the Pacific Ocean when two civilian witnesses saw something strange from the deck of SS Docteur Angier. ^[6] The two witnesses – an electrical engineer, P.L. Percharde, and his assistant, Kosei Nakamoto – were looking out from the deck when they noticed a strange “thin line of light blue” at an altitude of approximately 300 feet above sea level. What’s more, the thin light appeared to be heading in their direction.

It began to look disc-shaped the closer it got, and by the time it was over the ship they could see its circular dimensions. At this point, they would estimate that the aerial object was at least 100 feet across. They also noticed that the middle of the object was completely black while a ring ran around the edge, blue color on the outside and a pink color on the inside edge.

After several moments of hovering over the ship, it was quickly into the clouds, disappearing into them at an approximate altitude of around 2000 feet. They would describe the object as “agitating” and “illuminating” the clouds somewhat.

The two men would report the sighting to the crew officials and were subsequently interviewed by USAF intelligence officers. The sighting was investigated by Blue Book but no explanation has ever been put forward.

Descriptions Continue To Match Previous Sightings

Four days later, over San Marcos in Texas, at around 10:20 pm on 15^th August, Major W.J. Davis and Captain R. D. Sauers were piloting a C-47 transport plane when they noticed a “dark blue oblong object” which appeared out of nowhere and then kept pace with their plane. After around five minutes it moved away before crossing directly in front of the aircraft and disappearing.

At around 6 am on 26^th August in Danville, Virginia, Reverend Shelton witnessed two “domed ellipses” that glowed silver and orange. They hovered for several moments before climbing high into the sky while remaining perfectly side-by-side. Within two minutes, they had disappeared from sight. The following day, at around 1 pm in Dorchester, Massachusetts, a local resident named E. Srazdes saw seven “teardrop-shaped objects” that eventually turned a shade of blue. They flew in formation in a perfect line, eventually increasing their speed and disappearing into the distance.

Two days after Reverend Shelton’s sighting, 1^st Officer, H.G. Gardner, and engineer, J.V.D. Whitisy, as they flew their Royal Dutch Airlines plane, witnessed three or four “dark lens-shaped objects” over Prince Christian in Greenland at just after 11 am. The objects remained with the plane for around 10 minutes before taking off into the distance.

Over the course of two nights, a CAA communications specialist, Mr. J. Faltemeier, witnessed two separate bizarre sightings in Butler, Missouri. The first unfolded at around 3 am on 4^th September when Faltemeier witnessed between 20 to 30 lights that moved in a straight line “as if on a string” remaining visible for around 90 seconds. The second occurred just after midnight on the 5^th September when he witnessed a “silver or white object” that contained a “slightly swept-back leading edge” flew in a straight line before moving off into the distance and disappearing within 30 seconds.

A very similar object – both in its appearance and in the way it moved – was reported at just before 6 am on 18^th September over Kimpo Air Force Base in Japan. There were several witnesses to the event – a weather forecaster, a weather observer, and two control tower operators. They would recall seeing a round, circular object that had an exterior like “polished aluminum” and which flew “straight and level” for around 10 minutes.

A Humanoid Encounter?

Three days after the sighting over Kimpo Air Force Base, at 1 am on 21^st September over Barstow in California, multiple people saw a “red-orange ball giving off sparks” which was followed by a smaller light that moved in a “zig-zag” way before hovering overhead.

On the same day, at around 9:45 pm at Santa Maria on the Azores Islands, an airport security guard witnessed a pecan-shaped object that had a metallic light blue exterior and a clear glass nose with a door of some kind on it. As it moved, the witness heard a “humming or whining”. It hovered in one place for several moments before descending and landing vertically (like a rocket ready for take-off) around 50 feet away.

The next thing the witness realized, a humanoid occupant had emerged from the craft. He was approximately 5 feet 10 with blond hair and spoke a language the witness could not understand. The humanoid tapped the witness on the shoulder (as if in greeting?) before turning and reentering the craft. It then took off directly upward and eventually disappeared into the distance.

The following morning, at 9 am in Marshfield, Missouri, two private pilots – J. Williams and E. Ash – witnessed a “thin, translucent tan asymmetrical boomerang-shaped object” that appeared to “tumble” down to the ground before disappearing behind some nearby trees. A little over 24 hours later in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, local resident, Dave Owenby, witnessed two “bright silver wheel-shaped” objects move across the sky, remaining in sight for around two minutes.

The Second Half Of The 1950s Unfolds

With the first half of the decade hosting waves of UFO sightings, activity continued as the second half of the 1950s unfolded. ^[7] In fact, a sighting on New Year’s Day 1955 is very much worthy of our attention here.

At around 6:44 am over Cochise, New Mexico, an instructor, and their student pilot were in their USAF B-25 bomber on a training exercise when they witnessed a “metallic disc” that they described as being shaped like “two pie pans face-to-face”. This object would keep pace with the B-25 for around five to seven minutes, changing its position so both its edge and full face were visible to the witnesses.

A little over three weeks later, at 6:15 am on 26^th January in Lakeland, Florida, J.M. Holland was witness to a truly thought-provoking incident. He would claim to have seen a “black smoke trail” make a circle in the sky before hearing an explosion of sorts. Then, as he looked upward, several objects” fell from the sky. Unfortunately, there are no more details on this incident. However, based on the few details available, this might suggest some kind of an opening of a portal or gateway to allow entry of these strange crafts into our world.

At just before 8 pm on 1^st February, 20 miles to the east of Cochise, New Mexico, another instructor (Captain Ritzdorf) and a cadet (F.W. Miller) were on a training exercise in a B-25 aircraft when a red ball and white ball-shaped objects appeared out of nowhere and hovered off their left wing for several minutes. After this, the object ascended suddenly and at a very great pace.

The day following the incident in New Mexico, another sighting occurred that featured a detailed report.

The Miramar Naval Base Incident

According to Blue Book case number 3416, a strange but intriguing incident unfolded at just before noon on the 2^nd of February at Miramar Naval Air Station in California. ^[8] At 11:50 am on the morning in question Commander J.L. Ingersoll was driving from the base to a Naval Hospital in Balboa Park.

As he was driving down Highway 395, he noticed some of the aircraft going through training exercises overhead. He noticed a plane appeared to be coming into land and, at first, he thought he noticed that only one of their landing gear wheels was extended making him think some kind of emergency landing was taking place. When he looked closer, though, he noticed that all three landing wheels were set. However, at the same time, he noticed an object dropping to the ground nearby.

Once more, his first thought was that the object was part of one of the aircraft but the more he followed its steady descent, the more he realized it appeared much more controlled than falling debris. What’s more, it appeared increasingly clear to the witness that the descending object was much further away than any of the aircraft.

In his report, he would state that the object appeared at approximately 20000 feet before descending to around 15,000 feet and coming to a complete stop for between five to 10 seconds. It was sphere-shaped, off-white in color, and with a reflective “highly-polished” surface”.

Then, out of nowhere, a “reddish-brown color appeared” near the object and “at the same time the object practically instantaneously accelerated”. Ingersoll estimated that it was moving between 1000 and 1500 miles per hour and within seconds had disappeared from sight. Where the object had been hovering only moments earlier there was now a vapor-like “brown hue”.

Ingersoll would conclude his report by noting that he had served in the Navy for 26 years and was “with the normal illusions one can see in connection with high speed, highly polished or highly painted craft at high altitudes, and other phenomena of a similar nature”, and that more to the point, the object he witnessed was most definitely solid and was “not a reflection or an optical illusion”.

A Summer And Autumn Of UFO Activity

Although reports died down somewhat following the Miramar base account, by late-spring activity was beginning to increase once again. At just after 12 noon on 4^th May in Keflavik in Iceland, Lieutenant Colonel Stealy and Lieutenant Burt would report having seen “10 round, white objects” that appeared to fly in an irregular formation. Some of the objects would make erratic movements and one, in particular, would leave what looked like a “brief smoke trail”.

At around midnight on the 23^rd of May in Cheyenne, Wyoming, two USAF Airmen – named as Shapiro and Ingber – witnessed “two slender, vertical rectangles” that appeared to hover on the horizon while two oval-shaped crafts flew higher overhead. All of the objects remained in view for around five minutes before disappearing.

Just over two months later at 10:45 pm on 29^th July in Columbus, Nebraska, local resident, Morrice Raymond, would report “four orange flashing lights” in the sky overhead. As well as the four flashing lights, a white flashing light moved up and down near them for around five minutes before all the lights vanished.

Back in Iceland at just before noon on 11^th August, 2^nd Lieutenant E.J. Marlow witnessed 12 grey objects that appeared “cigar or egg-shaped” moving across the late-morning sky. The object moved in an erratic formation and would go from hovering to speeds of around 1,000 miles per hour before disappearing after three or four minutes. Several strange orange lights were reported moving over Arlington in Virginia at just before 11 am on the 23^rd of August, and were visible for around 30 minutes.

Two people would witness and report a “glowing round object” on 7^th September over Washington DC, while two days later at noon on 9^th September just outside of Alcoa, Tennessee, a local resident, M.N. Dawkins, witnessed a brown “almost square object” that appeared to move in circular motions through his binoculars. The strange craft remained in his sight for around 10 to 15 minutes.

Around a month later, at just before 5 pm on 8^th October in Loogootee, Indiana, two residents (named as Prather and Ahern in the report) would see a “round object” that was white or silver in color moving in a straight line at a speed of approximately 1000 miles per hour.

An almost identical object was reported almost exactly 48 hours later at Pt. Lookout in Maryland by witnesses B. Hale and A. Ostrom. The object remained in sight for over two hours, and while it appeared bright white to begin with, as the sky darkened during the sighting it began to take on a red color with what appeared to be “sparks”. Both witnesses would state it was unlike any aircraft they had previously seen.

A resident of St. Louis, Missouri – J.A. Mapes – would witness 12 “round, flat objects” that were “silver on top and dark on the bottom” at just after 6 am on 17^th November. They would further report that the objects flew in a “4-deep formation” and were visible for around 45 seconds.

Three days later at 5:20 pm on 20^th November in Lake City, Tennessee, six United States Air Force personnel – including Operations Officer, Captain Denkler, witnessed “two oblong, bright, orange semi-transparent objects”. These strange crafts moved at “terrific speed”, while at the same time moving erratically as if they were headed toward each other before backing away at the last moment. The objects remained in sight for around 15 minutes.

At 10:30 am on 25^th November at La Veta in Colorado, State Senator, S.T. Taylor witnessed a rounded object that was tapered toward the tail, and which appeared to glow a luminous green-blue color. He would elaborate further that the object appeared somewhat “jellylike”. It was only in sight for around five seconds before it disappeared.

The Roberta Jacobs Sighting

Perhaps one of the most intriguing sightings of 1955 occurred at around 11 pm on the evening of 21^st December 1955 in the town of Caribou, Maine. ^[9] On the night in question, housewife, Roberta Jacobs was preparing to go to bed at her property in her farmyard when she noticed a strange object at a particularly low altitude overhead. She quickly scanned the skies and realized there were no other stars present in the sky and so concluded that she was looking at something out of the ordinary.

She noted later in her report that the object was shaped like a “cup turned upside down on a saucer”, with the saucer part appearing to be “spinning fast”. Even more interesting is that she claimed the color was like something she had never seen before, only managing to describe as being “like pure gold”. She would further estimate that the object appeared to be the size of standard jet airplane.

Without a doubt, though, the most intriguing detail of the sighting is that she could see an apparent occupant moving inside the area between the flat saucer part and the top of the cup part. Although she couldn’t make out any particular details, she could see what appeared to be a person that moved in a “hurried” way as walked “in front of the light”.

Possibly more unnerving is that Jacobs had the distinct feeling that this occupant (or occupants) was well aware of her presence, and even that they had some kind of telescope pointed at her. At this point, she also noticed how a feeling of nausea suddenly overcame her.

After several moments the object left at an alarming speed and was out of sight within moments. The investigation could offer no explanation for what Jacobs might have seen and the case, like many others, remains unexplained to this day.

1956: Sightings Less But Consistent

Many of the unexplained Blue Book cases would be more evenly spread out throughout the year in 1956. ^[10] For example, at 11:25 pm on the evening of 12^th February 1956 over Goose Bay in Labrador, Canada, a pilot of an F-89 (reported as Bowen) and his radar observer (Crawford) witnessed a green and red object that circled their aircraft at high speed. What’s more, during the encounter, Crawford tracked the strange craft on his radar before it suddenly disappeared. Unfortunately, no other details are currently available regarding this case.

A week later, at just after 6 am on 19^th February in Houston, Texas, the entire crew of an Eastern Airlines Super Constellation witnessed an “intense white light” that appeared to be moving around five times the speed of their plane. The pilot had to take evasive action to avoid a potential clash with the mystery object.

Also in Texas, on the afternoon of 4^th April, at around 3:15 pm in McKinney, a retired Army veteran, Roy Hall, along with Charles Anderson and several other witnesses, observed a bizarre oblong-shaped object through their telescopes. It would remain stationary for almost six hours, allowing the onlookers to note that appeared to have two very distinct lines around the middle of it.

Around two months after that sighting, at around 5:30 am on the morning of 6^th June in Banning, California, a local resident reported as Mr. Bierman witnessed a “thin disc with a small dome” that hovered in the air around 100 yards from his location. He would recall that it had a “shimmering silver” color to it and it remained hovering for around 10 seconds. Then, with alarming speed, it “zoomed up” into the early morning sky and vanished from sight.

A similar sighting was reported around 20 miles outside of Quartsite, Arizona at around 11 pm on 8^th August. The witnesses – both attorneys, W.B. Buttermore and J.W. Smith – reported a “blue-white pulsating light” that flew perfectly straight and extremely fast. It remained in sight for around five minutes.

Several weeks later, at just before 10 pm on 27^th August in Juniata, Pennsylvania, Mrs. Pope witnessed a “bright disc with a clear dome” that moved overhead. The strange craft remained overhead and in sight for around three minutes, during which times a “very cold breeze” appeared that Pope believed was connected to the object’s appearance.

A member of the United States Marine Corps and his family witnessed a bizarre sight on the evening of 2^nd September in Dallas, Texas. At around 9 pm on the night in question, R.D. Rodgers noticed what looked like a “large star” changing color from white to red. This strange object then hovered overhead for around 20 minutes before heading away into the distance with lightning speed.

Ten days later in Highland, North Carolina, two witnesses, including a policeman, O.S. Gryman, witnessed over a dozen “yellow-to-red round objects” that appeared to move in a rough formation across the sky before heading back to their original location at around 1 am on 14^th September. As they did so, they would “swoop up and down”. They remained in sight for around 90 minutes before disappearing.

While flying a T-33 jet trainer at around 5: 30 pm on 1^st November, Captain Lyons and an Aerial Weather Reconnaissance Officer witnessed an orange light that had a strange “blue tinge” to it that zipped across the sky, remaining visible for around two minutes. A similar sighting occurred at just before 1 pm on the afternoon of 30^th November over Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina when a United States aerial navigator, Major Grimes, witnessed an unidentified object fly at a low altitude over the water for around 10 minutes. The report does not state whether the object disappeared into the distance or beneath the water.

On New Year’s Eve, at just after 2 am, Air Force pilot, Ted Brunson was flying an F-86D jet interceptor when he noticed a “round, white object” flying under his aircraft. It is not clear how long the object was in sight, but the witness recalled it made several excessively sharp turns that he simply could not match.

Another Wave Of UFO Sightings Hits In 1957

After the decrease in activity in the previous two years, 1957 would experience a similar wave of sightings like those seen in 1950, 1952, and 1954. And, once more, while we will not reexamine the cases we have already explored, as we might imagine, there are a plethora of cases to cherry-pick some of the more intriguing. ^[11] And while many of those sightings happened in the latter part of the year, there were some intriguing reports in the first half of 1957 also.

One of these occurred around 7:30 pm on 12^th June over Milan in Italy. According to the witness, Mr. Donadio who worked as a translator for an export-import firm, he saw an egg-shaped object that moved “very fast” overhead, making several “zig-sagging” motions, before hovering for around 15 minutes. It then “shot up” into the air with alarming speed and disappeared out of sight.

A little over a month later during the early morning of 27^th July (some sources state 29^th) in Longmont, Colorado, J.L. Siverly witnessed a “thick disc” that was “ice blue” in color and that had a “top like honeycomb” hovering just above the hilltop for around 10 minutes before it disappeared with great speed.

Around the same time, at 10:30 pm on 29^th July in Cleveland, Ohio, Capital Airlines pilots, Captain Stimley and First Officer Downing witnessed a “large, round, yellow-white object” that appeared to dim temporarily as it crossed paths with their plane. The object headed off into the distance, and while the plane did “give chase” for a short time, it was unable to catch up to it.

Around 12 hours earlier in Oldsmar in Florida, a Mr. Henkins witness a “pale, yellow fireball” like object which appeared to glide perfectly over the water and then appeared to explode (it is uncertain if it literally exploded or if it disappeared under the water).

Two members of the United States Air Force – O’Conner and Bridgeman – witnessed a strange object “shaped like a coke bottle without a neck” at around 8 pm on the evening of 20^th September over Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. They would further state that the object was “translucent and fluorescent” and passed over the base four times with each pass taking between five to 10 seconds.

Several weeks later, at just after 9:15 am on 8^th October in Seattle Washington, two unnamed US Army sergeants would report seeing two “flat, round white objects” that moved across the sky in a “trail formation along an irregular path” for around 30 seconds.

At just before 11 pm on 6^th November over Radium Springs in New Mexico, a Las Cruces policeman and the Dona Ana County Deputy Sheriff witnessed a round object that would change color from “red to green to blue to white” while rising up into the air from a nearby mountain top. The object remained in sight for approximately 10 minutes.

Only two days later in Merrick, Long Island, in New York, at around 10 am, a local resident named as Mrs. Dinner reported a “bar-shaped” object that gave off “blue flashes” and made a distinct “swishing sound” as it moved across the sky. Three control tower operators witnessed a similar object at a similar time of day over Robins Air Force Base in Georgia on the morning of 26^th November. They would report a “silver, cigar-shaped object” that remained in sight for around eight minutes before suddenly vanishing.

Four days later, at just after 2 pm on the 30^th November over New Orleans, Louisiana, three United States Coast Guardsmen witnessed a strange round object that changed from white to gold before it separated itself into three separate parts, each of which turned red. There are no other details of the sighting, other than it lasted for around 20 minutes.

A local resident of Col Anahuac in Mexico – R.C. Cano – witnessed around 15 circular objects at around 9:30 am on the 13^th of December. He would further describe the objects as being like “tapered discs” which were “very bright” and moving in a formation similar to a “stack of coins”. After several moments they would then morph into a V-formation.

Four nights later at around 7:20 pm on the 17^th December just outside of Grand Junction in Colorado, 17-year-old F.G. Hickman witnessed a mysterious round object that changed color several times, going from yellow to white to green and then to red. The object would move along the sky before stopping and then backtracking the way it had come. It did this several times for around 45 minutes before suddenly disappearing.

Steady But Consistent UFO Sightings Throughout 1958

Much like 1957, UFO sightings were spread relatively evenly throughout the year once more in 1958, at least as far as the Project Blue Book cases files were concerned. ^[12] There are several that are still worth making note of, however.

A sighting at just before 9 am on the morning of 14^th March 1958 in Healdsburg in California, for example, is particularly intriguing, if not very detail heavy. On the morning in question, Mr. and Mrs. Cummings, along with a friend, witnessed a “round, black object” that appeared to land briefly before taking off again and disappearing into the distance. In total, from noticing the object to it taking off back into the sky the sighting lasted no longer than two minutes.

The following month, at around 1 pm on the 14^th April in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States Air Force pilot, Major Tilley was piloting a C-47 transport plane when he noticed a “grey-black rectangular object” that appeared to rotate very slowly on its own axis for several seconds before disappearing.

A similar sighting was reported over Bohol Island over the Philippines by a Philippine Airlines pilot at around 11 am on the morning of 9^th May. The pilot in question would report seeing a shiny object with a metallic surface that appeared to spin on its own axis as it descended. After around 90 seconds, the object disappeared from sight.

At just before 11 am on 14^th June in Pueblo, Colorado, an airport weather observer (named as Foster in the report) witnessed an object they described as being shaped “like Saturn”. They would claim it was a silver color but with “no metallic luster” and remained in sight for approximately five minutes.

Six days later, at around 11 pm over Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Battalion Communication Chief (A. Parsley) would report seeing a “silver, circular object” that appeared to have a “green haze” over its lower section. The object hovered for several moments before oscillating slightly and then moving away with shocking speed. The witness claimed to have watched it for around 10 minutes in total.

A local resident of Warren in Michigan, A.D. Chisholm, witnessed an “extremely bright object” just after 7 pm on the 17^th of August. He would claim that upon first seeing the strange craft it was shaped like a bell but appeared to change shape into something more akin to a saucer (it is not clear if this change was physical or due to the witness’s perspective). It hovered for several moments before it “flipped over and sped away”, disappearing into the distance.

At a little after midnight on the 1^st September at Wheelus Air Force Base in Libya, a witness noticed a round “blue-white object” that was moving at “varying speeds” across the night sky. He would see the object twice, with the first sighting lasting around two minutes and the second one around 90 seconds.

The following month at around 2:30 pm on the 2^nd October in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, naturalist Ivan Sanderson would report a “dull-grey object” that he further described as being “shaped like a pickle with a flat bottom” which “flew erratically” and performed several “loops” before disappearing after approximately 15 seconds.

Around a month after that on the afternoon of the 3^rd November in Minot, North Dakota, again at around 2 pm, an army medic, William R. Butler, observed a “bright green object” that was “shaped like a 10 cent piece”, as well as a smaller “silver round object” moving through the bright afternoon sky. Then, the first object “exploded” while the second moved toward where the first had been and then disappeared into the distance (it is not entirely clear if Butler meant a literal explosion or not).

The “Quieter” UFO Year Of 1959

By comparison to recent years of the decade, 1959 was seemingly quieter in terms of UFO activity. There were, though, several thought-provoking accounts that unfolded over the final 12 months of the 1950s. ^[13]

At the end of March, for example, at a little after 12 noon in Corsica, Pennsylvania, a local resident (named as T.E. Clark) witnessed a “dark red, barrel-shaped object” descending out of the afternoon sky before eventually disappearing behind the trees.

A similar shaped object was witnessed and reported several months later in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on the evening of 18^th June. At around 9:30 pm on the night in question, A. Cavelli and E. Blessin, witnessed a “brown, cigar-shaped object” that appeared to be rising in the sky. What’s more, they viewed the object through their binoculars and were certain it was a solid craft.

Just under two weeks later on the evening of 30^th June over the Patuxent River in Maryland, another strange sighting was reported. It was just after 8 pm when Mr. Connolly witnessed a “gold, oblate-shaped object” flying in a perfectly straight line overhead. He would recall the object was “metallic with sharp edges” and that it was “nine times as wide as it was thick”. It remained in sight for around 30 seconds.

On the afternoon of 25^th July, at around 1 pm in Irondequoit, New York, a technical illustrator witnessed a “thin, crescent moon-shaped object” that appeared to have a white dome in the center moving across the sky. It moved with such pace that it was out of sight within five to 10 seconds.

Several weeks later, at around 1:30 am on the 10^th of August at Goose Air Force Base in Labrador, Canada, a Royal Canadian Air Force Pilot witnessed a large “star-like” object moving overhead. A similar sighting occurred the following month at around 1 am on 13^th September over Gills Rock in Wisconsin. The witness – R.H. Daubner – claimed to have seen a “round yellow light” that had “eight blue light within it”.

On the same day, at around 4 pm at Bunker Hill Air Force Base in Indiana, two control tower operators and a private pilot witnessed a “pear-shaped object” that was a white-cream color and with a metallic exterior hovering in the afternoon sky. It remained there completely motionless for around three hours before finally disappearing during an attempted intercept by a USAF T-33.

On the evening of 4^th October, at around 9:25 pm in Quezon in the Philippine Islands, two members of the United States Navy – C.H. Pogson and K.J. Moore – witnessed a large oval-shaped object which changed from a red color to an orange-red color as it moved. They stated it remained in view for around 15 minutes, all the while flying in a perfectly straight line.

Two nights later in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lieutenant Colonel Liggett and his wife claimed to have seen a “round white-yellow light” in the sky at around 8: 15 pm. They claimed the light “made several abrupt turns” during the two minutes it was in sight.

At around 9:25 pm on 19^th October in Plainville, Kansas, an engineering instructor at the United States Air Force Academy, Captain Henney, reported a “bright yellowish light” that came face-to-face with his T-33 aircraft. Fortunately, he managed to avoid a collision with the object, was began to dim in brightness following the near-miss. In total, the sighting lasted around 30 seconds.

Around the same time as the above sighting, a department store manager, Mr. Cissman, spotted a bright light approaching him in Telephone Ridge in Oregon. The witness claimed the light then stopped and hovered for around half an hour before it rose into the sky and disappeared within two seconds.

UFOs Are Here To Stay

While there would be many more Blue Book case files of the 1960s, it can’t be denied that the fifties were one of the most active eras of the project, not least due to the several waves of sightings that swept the United States and indeed the entire planet.

Perhaps one of the things we should take away from the sightings of the 1950s is the variety of objects began to increase. As opposed to a sphere or disc-shaped crafts of the early years of the Modern UFO era (as well as many sightings of “lights”), several sightings of the 1950s began to see rectangular, cigar, and even square-shaped objects. What’s more, many of these objects were seen to be descending to the ground as opposed to viewing the surface from the safety of the air.

What might this tell us? If these early UFO sightings were the result of one particular alien race visiting us we might expect – by and large – that the craft they would use would be very similar, if not the same. Does this suggest, then, that several more alien species began to arrive in the skies of Earth during this time?

Or might the increased variety of UFO vehicles be a nod of the hat to the fact that secret military and intelligence organizations were experimenting with new aircraft designs and dimensions? Perhaps a little of each of these is true, especially if there is any credence to the several claims of crashed and recovered UFOs during the late 1940s and 1950s.

One thing is most definitely certain. If there were any thoughts that the UFO craze and the sightings that came with it that had begun following the alleged Roswell crash was some kind of “passing fad”, the sheer number of sightings and reports of the 1950s, as well as the official government response to it (at least in the United States) suggested otherwise. And as we shall see when we examine some of the unexplained cases of the Blue Book files in an upcoming article, the 1960s would prove to be just as busy, and just as intriguing.

The short video below looks at some of the most intriguing UFO sightings on record.