17,909Documents 78Collections 1940–2025Years 25+Countries

Declassified UFO / UAP Document

Information Report: Unidentified Airborne Object

📅 4 Aug 50 📍 At Sea - North Atlantic 🏛 CIA 📄 Information Report
UAPNorth Atlantic1950CIAunidentified object

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AI-Generated Summary

TL;DR

A 1950 CIA report documents a 15-second sighting of an unidentified, silent, metallic, spinning object by three ship officers in the North Atlantic. Intelligence officers concluded the object was not a conventional aircraft.

This Central Intelligence Agency Information Report details a sighting of an unidentified airborne object on August 4, 1950, in the North Atlantic at 39° 35' North, 72° 24' West. Three crew members—the Master, the Chief Mate, and the Third Mate—observed the object at approximately 10:00 am EDT under clear weather conditions. The witnesses described the object as a small, metallic, ovular or cylindrical craft, approximately 10 feet in diameter, with a length roughly six times its breadth. The object exhibited a spinning or wobbly motion, made no noise, and appeared to have three dimensions. Estimates of its speed varied significantly among the witnesses, ranging from over 25 mph to between 400 and 500 mph. The object traveled on a reciprocal course to the ship before turning toward the horizon in a north-easterly direction. The sighting lasted approximately 15 seconds. Intelligence officers interviewed the crew on August 8 and 9, 1950. The collector noted a discrepancy in the speed estimates but emphasized that the witnesses were careful in their accounts and were visibly upset by the experience. The report concludes that the object was certainly not any conventional type of aircraft.

All three men were quite evidently very much upset by the sighting. Aside from the discrepancies, it was quite evident to the Intelligence Officers who interviewed these men that they had certainly seen some very unusual object which they could not identify but was just as certainly not any conventional type of aircraft.

Official Assessment

certainly not any conventional type of aircraft

The intelligence officers noted a significant discrepancy between the Captain's speed estimate and the officers' estimates. The witnesses were interviewed and were described as very careful in their statements.

Witnesses

Key Persons

Organizations