Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Air Intelligence Information Report: UFOB Sighting, New York City, 15 May 1955
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AI-Generated Summary
A 1955 UFO sighting in New York City was investigated by the Air Force and determined to be a hoax. The witness, a television technician, provided photographs that investigators concluded were faked using a small object placed near the camera lens.
This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (AF Form 112) regarding a UFO sighting in New York City on 15 May 1955. The primary witness, Warren Siegmond, a television technician, reported observing a large, metallic, elliptical object while on the roof of his apartment building at 7 West 15th Street. According to Siegmond, the object hovered, moved rapidly north in an arc, returned to its original position, and eventually rose vertically and disappeared. He claimed to have taken ten photographs of the object, though only five were returned by the developer. The report includes detailed investigative efforts by Detachment 3, 4602d Air Intelligence Service Squadron (AISS), including interviews with the witness and his companion, and consultations with the U.S. Weather Bureau and local photographers. The investigators found no corroborating radar data or unusual air activity in the area. The 12th Weather Squadron provided meteorological data, and the OSI District #2 also conducted an initial investigation. The investigating officers, Captain John A. Quinn and S/Sgt Sylvester E. Castillo, concluded that the sighting was a hoax. They noted that the witness was a 'saucer fan' who was actively seeking publicity and had a 'neurotic susceptibility' to the subject. Furthermore, professional photographers consulted by the Air Force determined that the photographs could be easily manufactured by placing a small object within 15 to 20 feet of the camera lens while the camera was set to infinity, which would explain the blurred, amorphous appearance of the object in the images. The report includes diagrams of the flight path and the observer's position, as well as copies of the photographs in question. The final evaluation by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) concurred with the findings of the preparing officer, stating that the object and the photographs were fraudulent. The report was closed with the recommendation that no further action be taken.
In view of the discrepancies noted above and on the basis of those equivocal items which cannot be resolved, it is considered that the "object" and the accompanying pictures were conscientiously manufactured.
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Official Assessment
The 'object' described in this report and the photographs of it are fraudulent.
The investigating officers concluded the sighting was a hoax. The photographs were determined to be of inferior quality, likely showing a small object placed close to the camera lens to create a blurred effect, consistent with the camera's focus settings.
Witnesses
- Warren SiegmondTelevision TechnicianCivilian
- Miss [illegible]Employed by the French Government Tourist Office
Key Persons
- Frank AuldSpecial Agent, OSI District #2
- John M. White Jr.Colonel, USAF, Commander
- Michael TheodorakisSpecial Agent, OSI District #2