Project Grudge Incident Reports — March 1949

This document is a collection of reports and correspondence related to Project Grudge, specifically focusing on a series of sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena in the vicinity of Tucumcari, New Mexico, in late March 1949. The reports detail observations by multiple witnesses, including an aviation safety agent, a postmaster, a police officer, an editor, and a grocer. Witnesses consistently described a long, narrow, self-luminous object, often compared to a pencil or kite tail, which appeared to be amber or orange in color. The object was observed performing maneuvers such as steep dives and climbs, swaying, and rippling, while moving generally from east to west. The duration of these sightings ranged from 10 to 25 minutes. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) conducted an inquiry into these incidents. A key part of the investigation involved checking with the Fort Worth Flight Service Center to determine if any jet-propelled aircraft were in the area at the time of the sightings, specifically around 1500 hours on 27 March 1949. The investigation concluded that there was no record of such aircraft in the area. The reports are marked as 'Confidential' and were later downgraded. The document also includes a separate incident report from Cleveland, Ohio, involving an aviation safety agent who reported a near-collision with a similar object on 7 March 1949. The overall tone of the documentation is one of formal military inquiry, with the official conclusion for the New Mexico incidents being 'Insufficient Data.' The OSI continued to monitor the situation, requesting that all future sightings of anomalous luminous phenomena within the district be reported.