Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Caswell AFS, Maine, September 1952

This document is a collection of records and correspondence regarding a UFO sighting that occurred on September 25, 1952, near Caswell AFS, Maine. A B-52 aircraft, identified as tail number 678, was requested by the controller at Caswell AFS to investigate an unidentified object. The object was described by the crew as an oval to oblong shape, roughly the size of a silver dollar, displaying greenish-red, blue, and white colors. Approximately 20 distinct bright lights appeared to be suspended from the object, which were observed fading in a random pattern. The crew reported that the object appeared almost motionless to one observer, while another reported rapid, erratic movement. The object remained in the area for 35 minutes after the aircraft departed. Ground radar at the AC&W site was unable to detect the object. The weather conditions included haze and a slight aurora borealis. The crew, which included 1st Lt. Frank C. Knaack and T/Sgt. Floyd G. Tatem, were experienced in high-altitude night flying and familiar with aurora effects. They noted the planet Saturn at approximately 5 degrees elevation above the object. Following the sighting, the aircraft's search radar and interphone system experienced electronic failures, which were investigated by the A&E shop. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the sighting was likely an aurora, citing the latitude of the aircraft and the description of the object. The report also notes that a local radio station, WEB-Boston, carried a report of a UFO sighting by a civilian in Southwick, Massachusetts, on the same date, which was being investigated.