Correspondence Regarding Unidentified Flying Object Sighting of November 18, 1954

This document collection centers on an inquiry made by Bob Barry, a Civil Defense Director in Olean, New York, regarding an alleged UFO sighting on November 18, 1954. Barry contacted the Department of the Air Force in April 1960, seeking confirmation of a report involving an unidentified object that allegedly approached Niagara Falls Air Force Base from the direction of Syracuse. According to Barry's account, the object was described as being the size of the moon and was subsequently trailed by two jets from Rome Air Force Base before diving into Lake Erie. Barry also claimed that a witness named Yonah Fortner was questioned by officials from both Niagara Falls and Rome Air Force Bases. The correspondence chain shows the inquiry being routed through various military echelons, including the 26th Air Division (SAGE) and the Air Defense Command. Each level of command consistently responded that they had no knowledge of the incident. Major Lawrence J. Tacker, representing the Office of Information, eventually replied to Barry on May 25, 1960, stating that a search of records at the Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center and relevant bases yielded no evidence of the sighting or any major aircraft accidents in the region during November 1954. The document file also includes unrelated clippings regarding a Sea-Dart jet explosion in San Diego and various press reports about UFO photographs taken in Taormina, Sicily, which were being studied by the Air Force at the time. These clippings appear to be part of a broader reference file on UFO-related media coverage.