Air Intelligence Information Report: 2B-UFOB-1-56

This Air Intelligence Information Report (2B-UFOB-1-56) documents a series of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) sightings reported in Graham, North Carolina, between March 4 and March 9, 1956. The sightings were primarily reported by Ground Observer Corps (GOC) personnel stationed at Fairchild Field. Multiple witnesses, including an electro-mechanical designer, a GOC Chief Observer, and local law enforcement officers, described a round, basketball-sized object that appeared to flicker, throb, and pulsate, changing colors between red, green, amber, and yellow. The object was observed for durations ranging from one to forty minutes, typically moving in a south-southeast direction. Witnesses reported that the object made no sound and did not exhibit the characteristics of an aircraft, such as sudden acceleration or breaking up.

Supplementary investigations were conducted by the 4602nd Air Intelligence Squadron (AISS). The investigation included inquiries with the Flight Service Center at Maxwell AFB, the U.S. Weather Station in Greensboro, and various Air Control and Warning (AC&W) squadrons in the region. No aircraft were reported in the vicinity during the times of the sightings, and no radar returns were recorded. Astronomer Dr. Cravens from the University of Tennessee noted that Venus and Jupiter were very bright in the sky during this period.

In the final assessment, the preparing officer and the approving officer concluded that the sightings were likely a misinterpretation of the star Sirius. This conclusion was based on the fact that Sirius was located in the same relative position as the reported object and frequently radiates a variety of brilliant colors, including red, green, and blue. The report notes that while some witnesses, particularly those with technical backgrounds, felt the object was a man-made satellite, the official determination remained that the phenomenon was astronomical in nature.