Incident #119 — Flying Saucers Reported Over Asuncion, Paraguay, 20 February 1948

This document details a series of reports concerning an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed over Asuncion, Paraguay, on 20 February 1948. The local newspaper, 'La Tribuna', interviewed several witnesses who claimed to have seen a flying saucer. Mrs. Agustina Vargas de Paula, a resident of the southern part of the city, reported seeing an oval-shaped object at 0700 hours traveling from west to east. She described the object as having a bulky forward section, a thin tail approximately three feet in length, and a highly colored wake displaying green, yellow, and orange hues. A second report came from an employee of the Bank of Paraguay, located in Aregua, ten miles east of Asuncion. This witness, along with others, observed an oval object crossing the sky from west to east, which they collectively identified as a meteor. Additionally, inhabitants of Cicervo Cua claimed to have seen a 'star' fall in the hills east of Aregua. A third report was provided by a rancher in the Chaco region, who observed the object with his laborers. He described it as a disc traveling from west to east at a speed slower than an airplane, at an altitude of approximately 1000 feet, emitting an intense green color and an aureola. The reporting officer, Major Samuel J. Skousen, noted the coincidence of the date and time across these reports. While the newspaper concluded that one or more flying saucers may have flown across Paraguay, the official military assessment suggests that the phenomenon was likely a slow-moving meteor or fireball. The report explicitly states that the observer who estimated the altitude at 1000 feet was likely in error, given that the object was seen over a wide area. The document includes check-lists for the sightings and references other related reports, including Incident #133 regarding sightings in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.