Sighting of possible unconventional aircraft; report of

This document consists of a series of official communications regarding an unconventional aircraft sighting reported at the Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey, on December 27, 1950. At approximately 2119 hours, two tower operators, identified as an AC3 and an ACAN, observed a white, star-like light that flashed on and off in a manner similar to commercial aircraft. The object was estimated to be at an altitude of 5,000 feet. The observers, who were stationed in the control tower atop Hanger No. 5, utilized binoculars to view the object. They reported that the object appeared circular or oval in shape and performed a sudden, tight circular turn before traveling in a south-southeasterly direction at a very high speed. The entire observation lasted no more than 45 seconds. The witnesses, who had been assigned to the tower for twenty-one months, were considered reliable and intelligent by their superiors. They specifically discounted the possibility that the object was a jet aircraft, noting that the turn performed was too tight for such an aircraft to execute. Weather conditions at the time were reported as clear with visibility exceeding fifteen miles. The sighting was formally reported to the District Intelligence Office of the Fourth Naval District on January 3, 1951, and subsequently to the Philadelphia office of the USAF Office of Special Investigations on January 4, 1951. The correspondence includes a formal forwarding of the report from the Director of Naval Intelligence to the Commanding General of the Air Material Command, referencing ongoing interest in unconventional aircraft sightings.