"FLYING SAUCERS" IN EAST GERMANY

This intelligence report, dated July 9, 1952, details the sworn testimony of Oscar Linke, a 48-year-old former mayor of Gleimershausen, regarding an encounter with an unidentified aerial object in the Soviet Zone of Germany. Linke, who had recently escaped to West Berlin with his family, stated that while traveling near the town of Hasselbach with his 11-year-old daughter, Gabriella, they encountered a large, metallic, frying-pan-shaped object in a forest clearing. Linke estimated the object's diameter to be between 13 and 15 meters. He observed two individuals in shiny metallic clothing near the object before they ascended into a black conical tower atop the craft. The object subsequently emitted a hum, changed color from green to red, and rose into the air, rotating like a top. It was supported by a cylindrical structure during its initial ascent before disappearing toward Stockheim. Linke noted that he and his daughter heard a whistling sound similar to a falling bomb. Upon returning to the site after the object's departure, Linke discovered a freshly dug circular hole in the ground that matched the shape of the conical tower. Linke testified that he had no prior knowledge of the term 'flying saucer' and initially suspected the object was a secret Soviet military machine. The report notes that other local residents observed an object they believed to be a comet, and a shepherd reported seeing a comet-like object moving at a low altitude from the area where Linke stood.