Report of Unidentified Flying Object — 19 October 1953

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report dated 26 October 1953, concerning a sighting of an unidentified flying object on 19 October 1953. The report details an incident occurring at 2135 hours in the vicinity of 44th and H Streets, SE, in Washington, D.C. Three witnesses, all members of the USAF Band stationed at Bolling Air Force Base—T/Sgt Zackary George Roumanis, T/Sgt John Osiecki, and A/1C James E. Stack—observed a spheroid, white, illuminated object that appeared to be the size of a pea. The object was described as having an orange-red exhaust or tail and appeared oblong in shape. According to the report, the object emerged from the light of the moon, traveled eastward in line with the planet Jupiter, moved slightly upward at a 20-degree angle for approximately 25 seconds, looped, and returned in the direction from which it came before disappearing. The total duration of the sighting was approximately 50 seconds. The witnesses used a 6-power optical aid to observe the object. Weather conditions at the time were reported as excellent, with clear visibility and no cloud cover. The report was prepared by 2d Lt Albert N. Hutchinson, Jr., who noted that T/Sgt Roumanis was an amateur astronomer and a mature individual of sound judgment. Despite the witnesses' insistence that the object was unlike anything they had previously seen, the preparing officer concluded that, given the object's size and distance (estimated at over 10 miles), it was most likely a meteor or an astronomical disturbance, as there was insufficient evidence to support other theories.