Air Intelligence Information Report: Flying Object Report - Bismarck, North Dakota

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-4-52C) dated August 2, 1952, detailing a sighting of unidentified aerial phenomena near Bismarck, North Dakota. On July 28, 1952, at approximately 10:00 AM Central Time, two civilian women observed two luminous, oval-shaped objects flying in formation. The witnesses estimated the objects to be roughly the size of a DC-3 aircraft. The objects were seen for 15 to 20 seconds, traveling at a high rate of speed in a north-westerly direction. The observers reported that the objects had no visible exhaust or means of propulsion. One witness, who had previous experience as an aircraft spotter during World War II, noted that the objects were unlike any aircraft she had seen before. A peculiar auditory phenomenon was reported, where the sound of a motor was heard, but it appeared to come from an entirely different direction than the objects themselves. The weather was reported as clear, with winds aloft at 61 knots. No radar contact was made, and no optical equipment was used by the observers. The report notes that three F-51 Mustang fighter planes were observed in the area ten minutes after the incident. The report was prepared by 1st Lt. Robert G. Young, Jr. of the 138th AC&W Squadron and submitted to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The documentation includes signed statements from the observers, which were transmitted by the 4672nd Ground Observer Squadron. The report also references a separate, possibly related, sighting of fifteen objects near the Hanford Atomic Works, though the primary focus remains on the Bismarck incident. The document concludes that no interception action was taken and no physical evidence was recovered.