Air Intelligence Information Report: Unidentified Airborne Object, Rumoi AF Detachment, 1 March 1953

This Air Intelligence Information Report, dated 12 March 1953, documents an unidentified airborne object sighting reported by personnel at the Rumoi Air Force Detachment in Northwest Hokkaido, Japan. On 1 March 1953, between 2025 and 2101 hours, two airmen, S/Sgt Gordon C. Ward and A/1c John H. Hughes, observed a starlike object that changed colors from yellowish-green to orange and pink. The object was initially sighted at 270 degrees azimuth and 35 degrees elevation, eventually moving to 230 degrees azimuth and 10 degrees elevation before disappearing. The witnesses described the object as fading intermittently and giving the impression of bouncing or vibrating. Despite the visual observation, the witnesses noted that the object appeared similar to a star, only brighter. Radar operations were active at the time, and a radar sighting of a ship in the area was noted, though the relationship to the visual sighting was not explicitly confirmed. Major Francis S. Dole, the reporting officer, concluded that the incident was likely a star, noting that similar sightings had been reported on 25 and 26 February. Photographic evidence was attempted, and the report includes references to negatives and prints, though the prints were not immediately available for inclusion due to courier schedules. Colonel Chester H. Morneau, Deputy for Intelligence, reviewed the report and concurred that the sighting appeared to coincide with earlier reports of a star. The document includes statements from both witnesses detailing their observations and the limitations of their ability to estimate the object's range, altitude, or speed. The report is marked as unclassified and was subject to downgrading at three-year intervals per DOD Directive 5200.10.