Air Intelligence Information Report: Unidentified Aerial Object Sighting, California

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-326-50) detailing the sighting of an unidentified aerial object on October 13, 1950, at 1950 hours. The observation occurred at March Air Force Base, California, by a USAF officer-navigator and a supply technician from the 22d Bombardment Wing. The witnesses, who were outside conducting celestial observations, reported seeing a single object with a bright, reddish cast that was unsteady in intensity. The object was described as having a size similar to a planet and was observed for approximately five minutes. It traveled on a 180-degree true course at a great speed and at a very high altitude. The witnesses explicitly ruled out the possibility of the object being a star, planet, or meteor, noting that it did not maintain a fixed position and did not follow a constant path. Furthermore, the object's speed and erratic maneuvers—described as performing every known maneuver—led the witnesses to conclude that it was not a conventional aircraft. The report notes that there was no sound, no odor, and no exhaust trail associated with the object. Weather conditions at the time were clear with slight haze and surface fog. The report was prepared by Captain Howard T. Holmes and approved by Lt. Colonel William L. Travis of the Intelligence Division, Hq MATS. It was subsequently forwarded through the Fifteenth Air Force and Strategic Air Command to the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for permanent retention. The document includes a note that an Air Force sergeant also reported observing a similar object, providing apparent confirmation of the sighting.