Unconventional Aircraft Sighting Report — Birmingham, Alabama, 5 May 1950

This document consists of a military memorandum from the Headquarters of the Third Army at Fort McPherson, Georgia, dated May 10, 1950, addressed to the Commanding General of the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The memorandum serves as a transmittal for a newspaper clipping from the Birmingham Post, dated May 5, 1950, which details a sighting of an unidentified aerial object over Birmingham, Alabama. According to the newspaper report, at least seven individuals witnessed the object. D. L. Reid, a former newspaperman, and Charles Bellanyder, a Navy veteran, provided detailed accounts. They described the object as bullet-shaped and initially white to bluish-white in color. The witnesses observed the object remaining stationary for approximately 15 minutes before it began to revolve, developed a 'long fiery tail,' and eventually rose vertically until it faded from view. Mr. Bellanyder estimated the object to be 10 to 12 inches across from his perspective, though he noted it appeared to be 150 feet long. Both witnesses explicitly stated their belief that the object was not a searchlight or a common reflection. The military correspondence concludes that there is no further information available regarding the incident, and the document itself is annotated with the handwritten remark 'INSUFF DATA,' indicating that the information provided was insufficient for a formal identification or investigation.