Disposition Form: Officers of the Day Report - 12 May 1953

This document consists of a series of reports and internal commentary regarding a UFO sighting reported in Dayton, Ohio, on 12 May 1953. A civilian observer reported a 1/2-moon-shaped object with a white light and a red tail light moving slowly in a northwest direction over Route 49 near the Miami Valley Golf Course. The object was observed for approximately five minutes at an estimated altitude of 3,000 feet and was described as moving back and forth like a pendulum. The report was initially received by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) via telephone at 0410 EST. Subsequent internal documentation from ATIC, dated 28 May 1953, provides an assessment of the incident. ATIC officials concluded that the sighting was a misrepresentation of known phenomena, likely exacerbated by an inexperienced observer. The document highlights that on the same night, two ATIC technicians observed an extremely bright meteor with a green-white hue, which they used to contrast with the civilian report. The ATIC assessment expresses concern regarding the adverse publicity generated by the incident, noting that the Dayton newspaper's coverage and the Control Tower's inability to provide an immediate identification contributed to what they termed 'saucer hysteria,' reminiscent of similar situations in 1952. The document also includes broader administrative updates regarding Project Blue Book, noting that data from 1952 had been transferred to IBM cards for analysis and that an evaluation conference had been held in April 1953 with representatives from Project Stork.