Project Blue Book Record Cards and Intelligence Reports — February 1952

This collection of documents details a series of reports and investigations conducted by the United States Air Force, specifically the Office of Special Investigations and the Air Technical Intelligence Center, regarding sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena in February 1952. The reports focus on sightings of 'greenish-blue fireballs' or 'balls of fire' observed by military flight crews and civilians across several states, including New Mexico, California, Virginia, and North Carolina. One primary incident involves a B-29 crew flying near Roswell, New Mexico, on 17 February 1952, who observed a greenish-blue ball of fire with a tail, approximately three feet in diameter, traveling at 15,000 feet. Another significant set of reports concerns sightings in the Norfolk, Virginia, and Greensboro, North Carolina areas, where witnesses reported an explosion in the sky. These reports were investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Air Force, with the official conclusion being that the phenomena were meteors. The documents include internal correspondence, status reports, and intelligence information reports (AF Form 112). The investigations consistently sought to rule out aircraft, balloons, or other man-made objects. In the case of the Norfolk incident, the Air Force and Weather Bureau concluded that the object was a meteorite that exploded upon entering the atmosphere. The reports emphasize that no physical evidence, such as fragments or photographs, was recovered to confirm the sightings. The documents also highlight the role of the Air Technical Intelligence Center in evaluating these reports and the coordination between various military units and civilian agencies like the Weather Bureau and the Civil Air Patrol. The overall tone of the documentation is administrative and investigative, reflecting the Air Force's systematic approach to cataloging and explaining aerial sightings during this period.