Report of Sightings of Unusual Objects — Spokane, Washington, 27 July 1952

This military intelligence cable, dated July 27, 1952, documents a series of sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena in the vicinity of Spokane, Washington. The report originates from the 57th Air Division at Fairchild Air Force Base and is addressed to the Director of Intelligence at HQUSAF and the Air Technical Intelligence Center. The document details reports from multiple observers, including a Major from the 11th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing and two civilian women, occurring between 2230 and 2300 hours PST. The witnesses described seeing ten to twelve brilliant white lights in a loose V formation traveling on a northwest heading. One observer noted the formation performed a 360-degree turn before continuing south. These objects reportedly produced no sound, trail, or exhaust. A second, separate sighting occurred at a different drive-in theater in North Spokane, where two luminous white discs were observed traveling from the northeast to the southwest in a line formation. A third, subsequent sighting involved a single disc described as looking like a 'clay pigeon,' which was estimated to be one-sixth the size of a full moon. This object also moved from the northeast to the southwest, disappearing behind a theater screen while dropping toward the horizon. The report notes that the reliability of the civilian witnesses could not be evaluated, while the reliability of the Major was considered good. Each report mentioned that many other individuals in the vicinity were also observing the objects. The document concludes with a note that the sightings were hazy due to the light of dusk and that the reported times were only approximations.