Unidentified Flying Object Report — Pendleton, Oregon, 16 July 1952

This intelligence report, issued by the Headquarters of the 25th Air Division (Defense) on July 21, 1952, documents an unidentified flying object sighting that occurred on July 16, 1952, near Reith Ridge, five miles west of Pendleton, Oregon. The report details that the object was observed by an Oregon State Trooper and several carloads of civilians while traveling on Highway 30. The sighting lasted for approximately five minutes. The object was described as a silver-colored, spherical craft, estimated to be between 35 and 100 feet in diameter. Witnesses reported that the object exhibited a 'dipping' motion and was moving in an eastbound direction before eventually heading due north. The object was estimated to be at an altitude of 4,000 feet and was described as traveling at a 'very fast' speed. The report notes that the object was observed visually without the aid of optical instruments. Weather conditions at the time were reported as clear with unlimited visibility. The report explicitly states that there was no radar contact in the area and that no air traffic was reported in the general vicinity, with the exception of a B-36 aircraft force that was in the area at 152155Z. The document includes administrative corrections, noting that the sighting occurred near Pendleton rather than Portland, and provides additional descriptive details regarding the object's appearance, specifically mentioning red and green lights. The report was signed by Major Neil A. Vosburgh, Director of Intelligence, and forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for further information. The document is marked as unclassified and includes instructions for its eventual downgrading in accordance with Air Force regulations.