Flying Discs - Chile (Report No. IR-42-50)

This report, dated 30 March 1950, documents a series of 'flying disc' sightings across Chile during March 1950. The first incident occurred on 11 March in Punta Arenas, where inhabitants reported a silver, ping-pong ball-shaped object traveling southwest at extreme altitude. Professor Frederico Rutland, Director of the Observatorio Astronomico of the University of Chile, publicly stated that these sightings were likely the planet Venus, which was clearly visible at that time. A second series of sightings occurred in the Santiago, San Bernardo, and Valparaiso areas on 24 and 25 March. A third, more detailed sighting took place on 28 March over Santiago, where a large crowd observed an object moving at high speed and altitude. M/Sgt. Patterson, an Air Attache office employee, personally witnessed this event. However, on 29 March, Patterson observed a silver, stationary object in the same relative position and concluded, following careful observation, that the object was the planet Venus rather than a flying disc. Professor Rutland reiterated his assessment that the objects were Venus. The report notes that local press in Chile had been actively headlining 'flying disc' dispatches from various countries, contributing to public interest in the phenomenon.