Unidentified Aerial Object Recovered at RAF Station Mildenhall, England, 26 April 1954

This document details the recovery of an unidentified aerial object at RAF Station Mildenhall, England, on 26 April 1954. The object was first observed at approximately 1600 hours floating to earth, eventually landing in a tree near the base. Captain Lawrence Thompson of the 3910th Air Base Group initiated an inquiry, involving Special Agents William J. Scarborough and William Waers. The object was described as a hollow aluminum sphere, 16 inches in diameter, weighing approximately six ounces. It was found with a five-by-five-foot piece of fabric attached via binder twine, along with remnants of a ruptured balloon. The only markings identified on the object were the word 'HARMLESS' written in yellow grease pencil and the trademark 'Made in England' on the balloon material. Initial inquiries with RAF Station Duxford confirmed the object did not originate from that facility. Following the investigation, the Office of Special Investigations (OSI) in the United Kingdom concluded that the object was a radar tracking target used by a radar station in England. This assessment was subsequently concurred with by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC). The report includes administrative correspondence between the District Commander, Colonel Roberts P. Johnson, Jr., and the Air Technical Intelligence Center, confirming the transfer of information and photographs regarding the incident. The document is marked as having been classified as Confidential and includes instructions for its handling under AFR 124-1.