Project Second Storey: Sighting Reports and Procedures

This document archive consists of a series of internal memoranda and correspondence within the Canadian Department of Transport, primarily dated between 1952 and 1953, concerning the establishment and implementation of reporting procedures for 'unidentified aerial objects.' The correspondence details the creation of 'Project Second Storey,' a project under the Defence Research Board, which aimed to study sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena. The Department of Transport, through its various regional offices and marine agents, was tasked with collecting data from observers, including lightkeepers and airport staff. The documents include specific instructions for interrogators, emphasizing the need for accuracy in reporting shape, luminosity, dimensions, bearing, and weather conditions. The correspondence also highlights the sensitivity of these reports, with explicit instructions that they be treated as confidential and not released to the press. Several specific sighting reports are included, such as a report from Prince Rupert in December 1952, and sightings in Regina, Saskatchewan, in December 1952. The documents also reflect the administrative efforts to coordinate these reports across various Canadian government departments and the Defence Research Board, while maintaining a level of secrecy regarding the project's findings and the nature of the objects reported.