Spot Intelligence Report: Unidentified Flying Objects — 5 November 1950

This document is a Spot Intelligence Report issued by the 8th District Office of Special Investigations of the United States Air Force regarding an unidentified flying object sighting in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. On 5 November 1950, at approximately 1155 hours, an employee of the NEPA Division at the Fairchild Engine & Airplane Corporation observed an object over the northwest corner of the Oak Ridge area. The witness, who held a 'Q', 'H', and 'Secret' clearance, described the object as having a rapidly changing shape, transitioning from a pear shape to a bean shape. The object was reported to be gray in color with a darker gray core and appeared translucent. The witness noted that the object had sharply outlined edges and moved in a 'rapid and darting' manner within a circle of a definite radius. The object was estimated to be the size of a three-story building, half a block long, and was seen for five to ten minutes. The witness noted that the object appeared to be near a mountain ridge approximately six miles away, at a compass bearing of 305 degrees. The observer remarked that the object's movements were too rapid and random to be a balloon and that it seemed to move in and out of clouds, though this might have been due to its semi-transparent characteristics. Weather conditions at the time were reported as 51 degrees with a nine to twelve mile per hour west wind and unlimited visibility. No sound was heard, and no means of propulsion could be determined. The report concludes that no investigation was being conducted at the time of the document's issuance. The document includes a sketch of the object and is signed by Lt. Colonel Patrick W. Hayes.