Incident Report — Adak, Alaska, 3 January 1953

This document consists of a series of reports regarding an unidentified aerial object sighting that occurred on January 3, 1953, at 2210 BST in Adak, Alaska. The primary witness, a Staff Sergeant, reported observing a spherical object that emitted an intense blue light with purple extremities. The object was described as being approximately the size of a football and traveled at a tremendous speed in a straight line from the northwest to the northeast, parallel to the horizon. The witness noted that the object was soundless and possessed a tapering tail, though it left no trail or exhaust. The observation lasted for approximately three seconds before the object disappeared, possibly behind clouds. The witness explicitly stated that the object did not appear to be a meteor or a falling star, noting that he had observed two similar objects previously. Despite the witness's skepticism regarding the meteor classification, official military assessments concluded that the object was an astronomical phenomenon, specifically a meteor. The report includes technical data from the local weather station, which recorded broken clouds at 3,000 feet and light snow. The documentation includes a formal report from the 73rd Air Rescue Squadron to the Director of Intelligence at USAF Headquarters, as well as internal forms (FTD SEP 63 0-329) and a summary sheet. No physical evidence or photographs were obtained, and no interception or identification action was taken at the time of the sighting.