Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Memorandum for Acting Director, Central Intelligence: Unidentified Flying Object Reported on 20 September 1957
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AI-Generated Summary
A 1957 CIA memorandum assesses a radar-tracked UFO incident over the US, concluding that Soviet involvement was highly improbable and that weather phenomena were the likely cause.
This memorandum, dated 21 September 1957, addresses a report of an unidentified flying object (UFO) tracked by US Air Defense Command radars on 20 September 1957. The object was observed moving westward from the eastern tip of Long Island toward the vicinity of Buffalo at an altitude of 50,000 feet and a speed of 2,000 knots. The report notes that radar jamming was observed in the area and as far west as Chicago, though there was an 11-minute break in the radar track. The Air Defense Command (ADC) investigated the incident and noted that weather conditions in the area were of a type known to produce false radar pips and electronic interference. Furthermore, the document mentions that B-47 aircraft from the Strategic Air Command (SAC) were in the area near Chicago conducting an ECM training flight. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assessed the possibility of Soviet involvement, concluding that there was no intelligence to support such a theory. The author, Herbert Scoville, Jr., stated that it was highly improbable that a Soviet operation was responsible for the event. The memorandum concludes that weather phenomena are the most likely explanation for the original reports and recommends that no further Intelligence Advisory Committee (IAC) meetings be called regarding this specific subject.
We conclude, therefore, that it is highly improbable that a Soviet operation is responsible for the UFO reports of 20 September.
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Official Assessment
It is highly improbable that a Soviet operation is responsible for the UFO reports of 20 September. Weather phenomena are increasingly likely explanations of the original reports.
The intelligence community found no evidence of Soviet involvement, noting that the incident was likely related to weather phenomena or electronic interference, and recommended no further IAC meetings on the subject.