UFOB Report (USAFE) - 21 June 1957

This document consists of a series of official communications regarding a UFO sighting report (UFOB) that occurred on 21 May 1957 at Tempelhof Air Base in Berlin, Germany. The primary correspondence is a memorandum dated 21 June 1957 from Major George F. Brame of the Department of the Air Force to the Deputy Director, AFOIN-4, noting that a report from the Director of Intelligence, USAFE, had been received but was missing a referenced attachment. The core of the file is a message (BD No. 25) detailing a sighting by three personnel: A/2C Jack R. Middleton, A/3C Cecil L. Sparkman, and Special Agent Jerome Hissman, all of the Berlin District OSI. The witnesses observed two or three circular, silvery objects, described as being the size of a grapefruit, moving on a northeasterly path. The objects were reported to have stopped abruptly after traversing one-fourth of the visible horizon within a period of two to three minutes. The observers were considered reliable. Following the sighting, base operations requested radar scanning, which returned negative results. A weather balloon had been launched from Tempelhof at 1715Z and tracked by radar, but it burst at 1753Z, and no other weather balloons were reported aloft. The final assessment provided by the District Commander of the Berlin District OSI concluded that the objects were likely propaganda balloons launched by information agencies in the area, though the specific source could not be identified due to the covert nature of such operations. The document also includes administrative instructions regarding the proper reporting procedures for future UFO sightings under AFR 200-2, specifically requiring the inclusion of the Director of Intelligence, USAF, and the Commander of the Air Technical Intelligence Center as addressees for electrical reports.