Report of Flying Saucer Sighting - 21 September 1950

This document collection details a 'Flying Saucer' sighting that occurred on 21 September 1950, involving radar observations by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Weather Radar Research Group. While tracking a pair of jet aircraft (identified as F-86s) at 30,000 feet to estimate wind drift, radar operators detected an unidentified object on their SCR-615-B radar. The object was observed moving at approximately 1,320 miles per hour and performed a sharp, 270-degree turn, which the observers calculated to involve 11 or 12 Gs of force. Despite the radar operators notifying the pilots of the jet aircraft, the pilots were unable to visually identify the object, citing poor visibility due to haze. The radar echo from the object was described as saturated, suggesting a large, irregular surface. Following the incident, the observers were contacted by Major Tuttle of the 33rd Fighter Wing and subsequently interviewed by the Office of Special Investigations. The observers expressed frustration that they had not captured the event on motion picture cameras. The incident was treated as confidential and was not initially released to the press. The documentation includes internal correspondence between the Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories and the Air Technical Intelligence Center, as well as a copy of the original radar plot and a formal Spot Intelligence Report. The official conclusion of the investigation was that the object remained 'Unidentified.' The documents highlight the technical nature of the observation and the concern among the MIT staff regarding the implications of the object's performance characteristics, which they deemed 'entirely unconventional in many and basic respects.'