Unconventional Object in Air — Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 23 June 1950

This document consists of a summary of information and a transmittal memorandum regarding an aerial sighting in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on June 23, 1950. At approximately 1300 hours, between 20 and 30 people reportedly observed an object described as a 'flaming cross' that was red in color. The object was sighted over the outskirts of Tuscaloosa at an estimated altitude of 5,000 feet. The sighting lasted for approximately 30 minutes, during which time the object moved slowly across the sky before disappearing into a thunderhead cloud that had formed over it. The report originated from a telephone call received by the editor of the Tuscaloosa Sun, which was subsequently documented by the CIC Field Area Office #4 in Birmingham, Alabama. The information was forwarded by the Headquarters of the Third Army at Fort McPherson, Georgia, to the Commanding General of the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, under the attention of MCI Control Number A-1917. The document is marked as unclassified and includes instructions for downgrading at three-year intervals and declassification after twelve years per DOD Directive 5200.10.