Project Blue Book Report: Unidentified Aerial Objects Observed at Weather Bureau Stations, Boston, July 1952

This document is a collection of reports and correspondence regarding a series of unidentified aerial phenomena observed in the vicinity of Logan Airport, Boston, Massachusetts, on the night of July 22-23, 1952. The primary report, dated November 6, 1952, from the U.S. Weather Bureau to the Air Technical Intelligence Center, includes several witness accounts, most notably that of weather observer Guy M. Bailey. Bailey reported observing an unidentified object while tracking a weather balloon with a theodolite. He described the object as oval or disk-shaped with red, green, and blue lights that appeared rectangular with rounded corners. The object reportedly circled the balloon for 11 minutes, changing colors and exhibiting rapid acceleration and deceleration. Other witnesses, including Lt. Commander W. J. Adams of the Squantum Naval Air Station, also reported seeing strange lights in the sky during the same timeframe. Adams described two round, bluish-green lights that moved in a manner he found distinct from conventional aircraft. The Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-37-52E) provides an evaluation of these sightings by Captain James A. Brown of the Air Technical Intelligence Center. Brown's investigation concluded that the sightings were likely the result of multiple factors. He determined that some of the reports were due to witnesses observing the afterburners of F-94 jet fighters that were maneuvering in the area at the time. Regarding the primary sighting by the weather observer, Brown concluded that the object was a weather pilot balloon, likely released from Westover AFB. The document includes various forms, including an 'Observers Questionnaire' completed by the weather observer, which provides detailed technical data on the observation, such as the use of a theodolite and the specific weather conditions at the time. The file also contains internal military communications and intelligence summaries that document the process of investigating these reports, including interviews conducted by Special Agent Julius B. Poppinga. The final conclusion reached by the Air Intelligence Information Report is that no physical evidence of an unconventional craft existed and that the phenomena could be explained by conventional aerial activity and weather equipment.