Correspondence Regarding July 22, 1949 Sighting in Peekskill, New York

This document collection contains correspondence regarding a UFO sighting reported by the Executive Secretary of the Peekskill, New York Chamber of Commerce. On July 22, 1949, at approximately 8:45 p.m., the author's wife, daughter, and a young man (the son of Reverend Ernest F. Neumann) observed two white, disc-shaped objects whirling out of the southeast and traveling northwest. The witnesses described the objects as being larger than a full moon, with a concave appearance and a whirling motion. The objects disappeared behind a cloud bank near the antenna of the local radio station, W.L.N.A. The author reported that the radio station experienced significant technical difficulties and audio distortion following the sighting, leading him to speculate whether the objects were electrical phenomena, atomic energy, or radar-blocking technology. The author also contacted the editor of The Saturday Evening Post to share his findings and photographs of the witnesses. In response, Colonel W. R. Clingerman of the Air Materiel Command's Technical Intelligence Division acknowledged the report. The official Air Force assessment suggested that the objects were likely plastic research balloons, which can appear as discs under certain lighting and weather conditions, and that the radio station's equipment failure was purely coincidental.