28954533.pdf

|  1. DATE - TIME GROUP | 2. LOCATION  |
| --- | --- |
|  12 May 53 12/0905Z | Dayton, Ohio  |
|  3. SOURCE | 10. CONCLUSION  |
|  Civilian | BALLOON Rawinsonde Weather Balloon launch at Sulphur Grove was scheduled at 0900Z. Description and maneuvers of object are identical to weather balloon maneuvers. Winds were from the SW.  |
|  4. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 11. BRIEF SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS  |
|  One | White half moon-shaped object with red tail light moved back and forth like a pendulum traveling slowly in a NW direction at an estimated altitude of 3,000 ft.  |
|  5. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION |   |
| …

2

|  **DISPOSITION FORM** |   | SECURITY OF FICTION (if any)  |
| --- | --- | --- |
|  FILE NO. | SUBJECT | Officers of the Day Report  |
|  TO ATIC | FROM EWHGS | DATE 12 May 1953  |
|   |  | COMMENT NO. 1  |

The following is for your information and/or necessary action taken from the report of the Field Officer of the Day and Asst Officer of the Day #1 for the period beginning 0830, 11 May 53 to 0830, 12 May 53:

A telephone call was received at 0410 EST, 12 May, from , , Dayton, (Tel No. ) reporting a flying object moving NW over Route 49 near the Miami Valley Golf Course. The object was …

|  1. DATE - TIME GROUP | 2. LOCATION  |
| --- | --- |
|  28 May 53 09/014SZ | Dayton, Ohio  |
|  3. SOURCE | 10. CONCLUSION  |
|  Civilian and Military | Astronomical (METEOR)  |
|  4. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | Additional observers evaluated as a meteor observation.  |
|  One |   |
|  5. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION | 11. BRIEF SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS  |
|  Not Reported | Object described as maybe a comet or ball of fire in flight from West to East. Below stars. About as high as an airplane. Did not come down to the horizon.  |
|  6. TYPE OF OBSERVATION |   |
|  Ground-Visual |   |
|  7. COURSE |   |
|  East…

28 May 1953

ATIC COMMENT: On the same night as the attached sighting, at approximately 8:30 P.M., two ATIC technicians well versed in astronomy also observed this object. There was no doubt in their minds but what the subject was an extremely bright meteor which burned for about 5 to 6 seconds on a downward path. According to these sources, the object had a green-white hue. ATIC feels that here is a good sample of how known phenomenon can cause widespread speculation due to an overly anxious observer. The fact that a meteor sighting was carried in a Dayton paper and advertised as a possible s…

UNCLASSIFIED
OPERATIONS REPORT - 25-29 May 1953

The following numbered items of interest were noted in Project Blue Book operations for the above dates:

1. Progress report was received from Project Stork, contractor for Blue Book, on 24 May 1953. Sighting reports up to and including 31 December 1952 have all been processed and evaluated. All data for sightings up to and including 31 December 1952 have been transferred to IBM cards. Analysis of data contained on IBM cards was begun on 12 May 1953. By 10 June, after completion of the first phase of analysis of data, a preliminary report will b…

UNCLASSIFIED

The sighting was publicized in a Dayton newspaper. This is a good example of how known phenomena can cause wide-spread speculation, due to an inexperienced observer. Two factors are interesting to note: (1) That the incident was carried in a newspaper, and (2) that the newspaper story stressed that W-P AFB Tower could not identify it. This is the type of publicity given to known objects which touches off the "saucer" hysteria.

Lt R. M. Olsson
ATIAS-5

DOWNGRADED AT 3 YEAR INTERVALS;
DECLASSIFIED AFTER 12 YEARS.
DOD DIR 5200.10

UNCLASSIFIED