Project Grudge Incident Report: Watertown, New York, 11 May 1949

This report details the investigation into a series of sightings of an unidentified aerial object near Watertown, New York, on 11 May 1949. The investigation was initiated following a news clipping from the Watertown Daily Times, which reported that a silver-tipped object trailing smoke was observed by several individuals between 1615 and 1625 hours. Special Agents from the Office of Special Investigations conducted interviews with three witnesses, including a young student and two adult women, who were traveling in a vehicle along a rural route when they observed the object. The witnesses described the object as having a smooth, shiny, silver or white surface, resembling a shoe box or an automobile hub cap, and noted that it left a gray smoke trail. They reported that the object moved slowly from the southeast to the northeast before dissolving. The investigation included checks with the 648th Aircraft Control Warning Squadron at Pine Camp, which confirmed that no unusual activity was detected on radar during the period. Furthermore, inquiries with the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory and local flight schedules produced negative results. Weather conditions at the time were reported as excellent, with clear skies and high visibility. The investigation eventually focused on the possibility that the sightings were caused by weather equipment. It was determined that four Rawinsonde balloons were released from Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, New York, on 11 May 1949 at 0400, 1000, 1600, and 2200 hours. Although the specific flight records for these balloons were inadvertently destroyed, the report concludes that these releases were the likely source of the observed phenomena.