AIR INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION REPORT 53-53

This Air Intelligence Information Report, dated May 1, 1953, details a sighting of unidentified flying objects that occurred on the evening of January 31, 1953, over Bataan Province in the Philippines. The report documents the testimony of two observers, including a Lieutenant Colonel with the Customs Secret Service and Harbor Police, who were fishing from a rowboat in Bihagon Cove, Manila Bay, between 2030 and 2100 hours. The witnesses reported seeing three or four very bright, fast-moving, disc-like objects, approximately 18 inches in diameter, which appeared to be transparent with light reflected from a shiny metal surface. The objects were observed for two to three seconds as they moved in a horizontal circle before banking and assuming a vertical position, eventually disappearing in a flash toward the northwest. The witnesses noted that the objects made no sound and left no trail or wake. The weather conditions at the time were described as clear with no wind, calm seas, and a full moon. The Lieutenant Colonel estimated the altitude of the objects to be between 30,000 and 35,000 feet and explicitly rejected the possibility that they were 'Jack-O-Lanterns' or falling stars. The report includes signed statements from both witnesses, a map of the Manila Bay area, and a sketch of the observation. The official conclusion provided in the report is 'Astro (METEOR)', though the preparing officer, Captain Charles J. Malven, noted that the lack of reference points made the size and altitude estimates unreliable and that no specific weather conditions could definitively explain the sighting beyond the presence of a full moon.