Intelligence Spot Report (Unclassified) — 9 June 1951 Sighting, Thule, Greenland

This document is an intelligence spot report dated 27 June 1951, originating from the Headquarters of Westover Air Force Base. It details a sighting reported by a Military Air Transport Service (MATS) crew aboard a C-54 aircraft during a 'Blue Jay' project flight near Thule, Greenland, on 9 June 1951. The crew reported observing two apparent contrails while approaching Thule. The first was sighted approximately 60 miles south of Thule at 3,000 feet, and the second was sighted near Thule at approximately 4,000 feet. The crew members discussed the sightings and were of the opinion that they were indeed contrails, although they admitted a lack of familiarity with arctic weather phenomena that might produce similar visual effects. The captain of the aircraft estimated the altitude of the sightings to be between 30,000 and 40,000 feet above sea level. Meteorological data provided in the report indicates that at the time of the sighting, the temperature at 3,000 feet was 30 degrees Fahrenheit, with a surface temperature at Thule of 34 degrees Fahrenheit and a dew point of 29 degrees Fahrenheit, suggesting a slight inversion. The sky was reported as clear in the vicinity of the sightings, with light, broken cumulus clouds at 3,000 feet and high, thin stratus clouds at 14,000 feet. The report concludes that the objects were likely weather-related phenomena, specifically contrails. The document is marked as secret and includes instructions for downgrading and declassification.