Light Phenomena East of Tashkent

This Central Intelligence Agency Information Report, dated February 11, 1952, details a series of aerial observations made in the Uzbek S.S.R. between May and September 1947. Based on a reinterrogation of an informant previously associated with report SO-49149x, the document describes three distinct light phenomena observed near a prisoner-of-war camp in Pajhta Aral, approximately 50 kilometers southwest of Tashkent. The witness reported that these phenomena occurred almost nightly between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. local time. According to the report, the objects appeared as balls of fire that followed a trajectory from the southwest to the northeast. Each event lasted approximately six seconds. The objects were described as changing color from a pale green or white to a bright red at their apex. Observers noted that there were no associated smoke trails, noises, or detonations. The trajectory was estimated to be between 60 and 80 kilometers in length, with the apex reaching an altitude of 5,000 to 12,000 meters. At this peak, the objects appeared to be approximately one-fifth the diameter of the full moon. The document includes a field comment cautioning that the trajectory measurements should be treated with reserve, noting specifically that no discharge or noise from the projectiles was heard by the witnesses. An annex containing a sketch of the trajectory is referenced as part of the report.