Project Grudge Incident Report #327 — Roanoke, Virginia, 13 May 1949

This document is a collection of investigative reports and correspondence related to Project Grudge, specifically focusing on a sighting incident in Roanoke, Virginia, on May 12, 1949. The primary incident involved a civilian observer who reported seeing an amber-colored, cigar-shaped object moving slowly at approximately 4,000 feet. The observer initially mistook the object for a star, then an airplane with landing lights, before the lights were extinguished and a sound resembling the drone of B-29 motors was heard, accompanied by sparks trailing from the object. The observer, a long-time postal employee, speculated that the object was an airship experiencing engine trouble, with the sparks originating from an exhaust port. The Air Force investigation, conducted by the Office of Special Investigations (OSI), sought to determine the characteristics of this object, which was also reported by other individuals in West Virginia and Eastern Tennessee. The official conclusion for the Roanoke incident was 'AIRCRAFT.' The document also includes a separate investigation into a sighting in Osceola, Iowa, where a retired lawyer reported seeing six to ten objects on May 12-15, 1949. This witness concluded that the objects were reflections of automobile headlamps against the sun. The file contains various administrative documents, including requests for investigation, reports of interviews with witnesses, and weather data from the U.S. Weather Bureau at Woodrum Field, Roanoke, to assist in the analysis. The investigation concluded that there was no radar evidence of the objects and that the sightings were likely related to conventional aircraft or, in the case of the Iowa incident, optical phenomena. The document highlights the Air Force's systematic approach to investigating these reports under Project Grudge, involving local police checks, interviews with witnesses, and coordination with other agencies like the Civil Aeronautics Administration.