Two Employees Saw a Blue Light Over a Nuclear Plant
The light, resembling a disc, passed over an area within the plant, and the next day, a report was sent to the FBI.
Released to the public May 8, 2026
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In brief
Two employees observed a blue light with orange edges over a nuclear plant near the Savannah River. The following day, the plant's security official reported it to the FBI, but the message cuts off while describing the light's speed.
Summary
Section 7 of FBI HQ file 62-83894 (the Bureau's master flying-saucer/UFO file), covering correspondence and internal memoranda from approximately August 1952 through mid-1954. The bulk consists of J. Edgar Hoover form letters acknowledging citizen UFO reports and forwarding them to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI), internal Bureau policy memos reaffirming that flying-disc complaints are USAF jurisdiction (per Bureau Bulletin #57 and SAC Letter #38), several teletypes on specific sightings (Savannah River Plant, Atlanta 'small animal'/Mableton hoax, Fort Buchanan PR, Bowie MD), an attached clipping of Daniel Lang's 6 September 1952 New Yorker article 'Something in the Sky,' and tracking of contactee promoters (Truman Bethurum, George Hunt Williamson, Albert K. Bender's IFSB) and inventor claims (Adolph Dornig in Klagenfurt and Fred J. Eekhout of The Hague).
Incidents in the document
1952-08-08 · Savannah River Plant, 400 Area, South Carolina/Georgia, USA · Page 3
Two E. I. du Pont employees observed a blue light with orange fringe shaped like a saucer flying at high speed in a northeasterly direction over the 400 Area at approximately 9:30 p.m.; reported via AEC Security Office to FBI by teletype 9-9-52.
Witnesses
Two E. I. du Pont Co. employees (unnamed)
Sensors
visual
The object
blue light with orange fringe, saucer-shaped, high speed
Outcome
Reported to FBI via AEC Security; teletype filed.
1952-07-31 · Passaic / Paterson, New Jersey, USA · Page 63
Civilian photographer George Stock photographed an unidentified aerial object; witness John B. Riley developed/printed the film. Photos forwarded to ATIC via 5th OSI District by Charles Gregg of the Herald-News. OSI requested FBI Newark do credit/criminal/neighborhood checks on Riley and Stock; both came back clean.
Witnesses
George Stock · John B. Riley
Sensors
camera
The object
unidentified aerial object (photograph)
Outcome
FBI Newark cleared subjects; results forwarded to OSI New York City.
1952-08-19 · West Palm Beach, Florida (desolate area), USA · Page 44
Scoutmaster D. S. Desvergers reported that a 30-foot disc-shaped object hovered over his head and shot a 'red blob' that caused him to lose consciousness. His scoutmaster's cap had burns and the hair on his arms was singed. FBI Laboratory examined the cap on USAF request (8/26/52); concluded singeing pattern (especially the un-singed area under fold) suggested 'cap was not being worn when the singeing took place.'
Witnesses
D. S. Desvergers
Sensors
physical evidence — singed cap
The object
disc 30 ft. diameter; emitted 'red blob'
Outcome
FBI lab found 'no residue' to identify burn agent; bill singeing consistent with cap not being worn — suggests hoax.
1952-09-19 · Montana (~100 mi track), USA · Page 61
News releases reported that the FBI was 'investigating a strange white object which reportedly streaked across the sky of Montana for about one hundred miles.' ASAC Plaxico of Butte FBI advised on 9/20/52 that, while a report had been received, no investigation was conducted nor contemplated.
Three objects (one larger casting white light, two smaller colored orange and reddish) observed for 4 hr 15 min from before dawn through 5:11 a.m.; executed barrel-rolls, 90-degree turns, and 'dog-fight' pattern. Estimated altitude 'about 1 mile,' speeds varying 1500–[higher] mph. Reported by Capt. Lee Sloan, Patrolman Jack W. Moore, and Patrolman Kenneth Rund of Franklin PD; report appeared in IFSB's Space Review (Vol. II, No. 1, Jan 1953).
Witnesses
Capt. Lee Sloan · Patrolman Jack W. Moore · Patrolman Kenneth Rund · civilian witnesses, U.S. Marines
Sensors
visual · binoculars
The object
three round/flat 'saucer'-like objects; one larger white-light, two smaller orange and reddish
Outcome
Police report; published in Space Review
1953-04-08 · Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, USA (territory) · Page 142
Five witnesses (three Army Captains, one Sergeant, one civilian) observed an unidentified flying object at 11:30 a.m.; described as a 'bright star or bright ball of fire at a great height,' moving rapidly. Two RB-36 aircraft were operating in area at 12,000 ft and 21,000 ft. Reported to SAC San Juan by Maj. Bradford P. Shuman, Wing Intel Officer, Ramey AFB.
Witnesses
3 U.S. Army Captains · 1 U.S. Army Sergeant · 1 civilian
Sensors
visual
The object
bright star / bright ball of fire at great altitude, moving rapidly
Outcome
Reported to FBI for information; closed.
1953-03-09 · Bowie, Maryland, USA · Page 131
An individual giving the name 'John Bailey' telephonically called FBI at 9:05 p.m. claiming to have just seen a flying saucer near Bowie, MD; was vague on details, would not give residence, hung up when asked where he was staying. FBI suspected prank; did not refer to AF.
Witnesses
John Bailey (caller)
Sensors
visual
The object
flying saucer (no detail given)
Outcome
Likely prank; no further action; subsequently forwarded to OSI 3-12-53.
1953-07-08 · Mableton, Georgia (Bankhead Highway), USA · Page 154
Edward E. Watters (barber), Arnold Payne (butcher), and Thomas Wilson (barber) claimed they encountered three small animals and a 'flying saucer' on Bankhead Hwy near Mableton at midnight 7-7-53; struck and killed one creature with their car. Tom McRae (Atlanta Constitution) called Atlanta FBI at 3:45 a.m. 7/8/53; carcass examined by Dr. W. A. Mickle (Emory) who pronounced it a hairless rhesus monkey ('If they're from outer space, they haven't invented anything new'). Watters planned to freeze it in dry ice and exhibit.
Witnesses
Edward E. Watters · Arnold Payne · Thomas Wilson · Tom McRae · Dr. W. A. Mickle
Sensors
physical specimen
The object
21-inch hairless 'creature' resembling monkey, pointed head, large ears, pinkish skin; 'machine waist-high, half as wide as road, glowing red'
Outcome
Identified as shaved/hairless monkey; classic hoax. Atlanta FBI referred to OSI 9 a.m. 7/8/53.
circa 1952 (reported 1953) · Circleville, Ohio (Stevenson farm, RR 2, Pickaway County), USA · Page 151
Rumor circulated by W. S. Woodfill (Mackinac Grand Hotel) that farmer Bruce Stevenson saw a saucer landed on his farm and was later visited by purported FBI agents who showed him photos and told him the saucer came from Mars and that the U.S. held a Martian alive in California. FBI Cincinnati interviewed Stevenson 7-14-53; he had been visited by Jack W. Grant (PO Box 5112 Tri-Village Sta., Columbus OH), a self-described TV-antenna salesman/saucer hobbyist, NOT FBI. Sheriff Charles Radcliff of Pickaway County corroborated Stevenson's character and that the visitor did not represent himself as FBI.
Witnesses
Bruce Stevenson
Sensors
visual
The object
saucer-shaped object reportedly landed
Outcome
FBI denied any FBI agents had visited Stevenson; rumor of Martian-in-California captive denied by Hoover.
1947-06-24 · Mt. Rainier, Washington (Chehalis–Yakima), USA · Page 76
Kenneth Arnold (Boise ID) sighted nine tail-less aircraft flying like geese in chainlike formation over Mt. Rainier at estimated ~1200 mph from his CallAir over Chehalis area — the original 'flying saucer' sighting (recounted in attached New Yorker article).
Witnesses
Kenneth Arnold
Sensors
visual
The object
nine tail-less, flat, mirror-shiny saucer-like objects, 5 mile chain
Outcome
Origin of term 'flying saucer'; recounted in Lang's Sept 1952 New Yorker.
1948 (Gorman, October 1) · Fargo Municipal Airport, North Dakota, USA · Page 79
Lt. George Gorman (ND ANG) chased a 6–8-inch white pulsating light in his F-51 to 14,000 ft; light turned, climbed steeply beyond F-51 capability; Gorman blacked out; light disappeared NW. Project Saucer suspected lighted weather balloon released ten minutes prior.
Witnesses
Lt. George Gorman
Sensors
visual · Fargo tower
The object
6–8 inch round white pulsating light
Outcome
Tentatively explained as lighted weather balloon.
1952-07-19/20 and 1952-07-26/27 · Washington, D.C. (ARTC, Andrews AFB), USA · Page 83
Senior controller Harry G. Barnes wrote that for six hours on the morning of July 20, 1952 there were 'at least ten unidentifiable objects moving above Washington' on his radar; corresponding visual sighting reported by airline pilot. On 9:08 p.m. July 26 unidentified objects again on Washington National and Andrews scopes; jet interceptors from New Castle DE vectored, pilot saw four lights ahead but they vanished (recounted in New Yorker).
Witnesses
Harry G. Barnes (ARTC) · USAF interceptor pilots
Sensors
radar (ARTC, Andrews) · visual
The object
multiple unidentified pips and lights
Outcome
Air Force: 'We have no evidence they were flying saucers; conversely, we have no evidence they were not. We don't know what they were.'
1951-01 (cited) · Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA · Page 73
Two USAF aircraft attempted to intercept an unidentified object and 'actually established a radar lock'; their altitude was 7,000 ft; radar elevation of 10–25 degrees on three passes led pilots first up then down to a specific point on the ground — cited as evidence for temperature-inversion explanation in the DoD public-information sheet.
Witnesses
USAF intercept crews
Sensors
airborne radar
The object
radar return; possible temperature inversion
Outcome
Cited by USAF as inversion-reflection example.
1952-08-15 (postmark) · Jackson, Minnesota, USA · Page 25
Wm. Hoffmeyer's uncle found a round pile of tinsel-like material in a pasture, with three triangle-arranged burned patches of clover beneath. Neighbor's wife had seen 'a steady white light circling their farm' the previous Sunday morning. Hoffmeyer sent a sample to FBI.
physical sample — 'shredded thin strips of tin-foil'
The object
steady white light circling farm; tinsel-like residue
Outcome
FBI forwarded enclosure (foil) and letter to USAF.
1952-08-01 · Mauston, Wisconsin (correspondent), USA · Page 5
Mr. Kane of Mauston wrote Hoover with observations; Hoover replied 8/11/52 forwarding to Air Force OSI.
Witnesses
Mr. Kane
The object
(unspecified)
Outcome
Forwarded to OSI
Quotes from the file
"TWO EMPLOYEES OF THE E. I. DU PONT COMPANY SAW A BLUE LIGHT WITH AN ORANGE FRINGE SHAPED LIKE A SAUCER FLYOVER THE FOUR HUNDRED AREA OF THE SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT AT APPROXIMATELY NINE THIRTY PM AUGUST EIGHT, FIFTYTWO. OBJECT FLYING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND TRAVELING IN A NORTHEASTERN [direction]"
Speaker: FBI teletype, 9-9-52
Why it matters: Sole UAP report inside the AEC's Savannah River nuclear-materials plant.
Page 3
"Inasmuch as the matter of the flying saucers is being investigated by the United States Air Force, I am taking the liberty of forwarding a copy of your letter to the Director of Special Investigations, The Inspector, General, Department of the Air Force"
Speaker: John Edgar Hoover (form letter to Mr. Kane, 8/11/52)
Why it matters: Canonical Hoover boilerplate establishing FBI's stand-down posture: USAF has the saucer beat.
Page 5
"Flying Saucer, a weapon tested in 1944, which is probably now being produced in series ... is a V-weapon which has a round body similar to a disk having a diameter of about 48-50 m. ... These weapons are in Russian hands and can have an effective range of 30-35,000 km. The constructor of V-weapons RIEDEL in Germany stated that it concerns a typical V-weapon on which he had worked himself."
Speaker: Anonymous German letter to Cincinnati Enquirer, signed 'H. SCH.', translated by FBI Cryptanalysis-Translation Section
Why it matters: Early example of the 'Nazi flying disc' meme reaching the FBI.
Page 20
"they have disintegrators which they will utilize and which will disintegrate these p[la]nes completely in no time flat."
Speaker: Francis Ohm of Borderland Sciences Research Associates relaying contactee message via SAC San Diego, 8/5/52
Why it matters: Earliest contactee 'they will retaliate' threat in the file; flagged from BSRA whose director was Mead Layne.
Page 34
"When the cap is observed from the front, the left edge of the insignia and the fold in the blue cloth, there is an absence of singeing noted under the fold suggesting the possibility that the cap was not being worn when the singeing took place."
FBI Assistant Director (recipient of memos) · FBI · Page 90
Helen W. Gandy
Hoover's secretary · FBI · Page 149
ASAC Plaxico
Assistant SAC, Butte FBI · FBI · Page 61
Captain William Deegan
OSI, 4th Air Force Base, Bolling Field · USAF OSI · Page 41
Colonel C. M. Young
Executive Officer to Maj. Gen. John A. Samford, Director of Air Intelligence · USAF · Page 69
Major General John A. Samford
Director of Air Intelligence, USAF · USAF · Page 90
Captain Edward J. Ruppelt
Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC), head of Project Blue Book · USAF ATIC, Wright-Patterson · Page 69
Albert M. Chop
Office of Public Information, Office of the Secretary of Defense; USAF flying-saucer PR contact · DoD · Page 92
What was blacked out
Page 104
Single page bearing handwritten exemption tags '(b)(3)(A)' and '(b)(3)(B)' — the rest of the page is blank/withdrawn
Likely reason: FOIA b(3) — information specifically exempted from disclosure by statute (often used for intelligence-source statutes); two instances on this withdrawal page
Page 168
'CHANGED TO MAY 5 1954' withdrawal slip
Likely reason: Document re-routed/refiled — content not present in this section
Page 185
'CHANGED TO 62-7059 (?)' withdrawal slip in the Dornig sub-file area
FBI Lab examination of the West Palm Beach scoutmaster Desvergers cap (p. 44) found the singeing pattern actually argued AGAINST the official 'red blob' story — the un-singed area under the cap fold suggested the cap was not being worn when burned. This finding was given to the AF only orally per the recommendation.
ATIC told FBI HQ (p. 94, late October 1952) that on a 35-foot color motion-picture film voluntarily submitted by a Navy photographer crossing the U.S. by car, '12 to 16 flying objects' were recorded; balloons/clouds/'optical illusions' were 'completely ruled out' — and ATIC was 'at a complete loss to explain this most recent creditable sighting.' This corresponds to the Tremonton, Utah / Delbert Newhouse footage period.
Internal FBI memo (V.P. Keay → Belmont, 10/27/52, p. 96) explicitly states 'some Military officials are seriously considering the possibility of interplanetary ships' — a position rarely conceded on paper inside the Bureau.
Oak Ridge January 1951 USAF radar 'lock' on an unidentified object during three intercept passes (p. 73) — the DoD public-information sheet itself describes this as a confirmed lock-on, only attributing it post-hoc to a temperature inversion.
DoD/USAF official factsheet (p. 72) places the unexplained-residue rate at '20 percent of the total' of ~1,500 cases as of late 1952.
Attached New Yorker article preserves Maj. Gen. Samford's 'no mass means there's nothing there' quote and Capt. Ruppelt's note that even Los Alamos physicists reported lights hovering over their atomic-energy laboratories (p. 82).
Adolph Dornig (Klagenfurt, Austria) wrote to Alois Pivec in NJ in Dec 1953 / Jan 1954 claiming he is the actual inventor of the 'flying saucer,' that comrades emigrated to South America to test his pre-war design with ~60% fatal flights, that with proper backing he could deliver a 2000+ km/h prop-less machine in 5–6 weeks, and that prior letters to Truman, Eisenhower, the Pentagon and Salzburg authorities had only produced 'Russian agents.' The Newark FBI took the letters but declined to investigate.
Chilean letter from Francisco Troncoso Silva (Valparaiso, 3/4/53) proposes that 'Dr. Julius Linke' — alleged to disable electricity, telephones and flashlights during a London/Kent prison escape — may be linked to flying saucers and to the 'paralyzed motors' phenomenon reported in air-saucer encounters.
1953 Mackinac Island/Circleville rumor (Woodfill/Stevenson) — first appearance in this file of the 'captured Martian being taught English in California' meme. FBI traced it to civilian saucer hobbyist Jack W. Grant of Columbus, OH.
Mableton, GA (7/7-8/53) hoax involved a shaved/hairless rhesus monkey hit by a car — examined the same morning by Emory University anatomy professor Dr. W. A. Mickle and circulated in national wire stories. Atlanta FBI got a 3:45 a.m. call from Atlanta Constitution reporter Tom McRae.
Other sections of 62-HQ-83894 (sections 1, 2, 4, 6, 8-25) — same master file, continuous correspondence numbering
Serials 010 (62-83894-164), 011 (62-83894-220), 012 (62-83894-403) — earlier serials of same file referenced in document headers
Eekhout flying-disc-design submission referenced 'Bulet to OSI, Air Force, dated 5-7-52 ... (62-83894-273)' — predecessor serial in the same case
Borderland Sciences Research Associates / Mead Layne / Max Freedom Long — likely cross to other San Diego BSRA reports in the FBI corpus
Daniel Lang's New Yorker article 'Something in the Sky' (Sept 6, 1952) — full clipping pp. 75–84; cross-references Project Saucer/Blue Book master coverage
Truman Bethurum / George Hunt Williamson / Soul Craft Press / William Dudley Pelley's Silver Shirt Legion — relates to Indianapolis FBI file 61-5 (Silver Shirt Legion of America, Inc.; Internal Security – X)
Adolph Dornig / Alois Pivec material — cross-refers Newark file NK 100-17007 (referenced)
Albert K. Bender / IFSB / Space Review Vol. II No. 1 (Jan 1953) — likely cross to other IFSB/contactee mail in later sections
Ramey AFB / Fort Buchanan PR April 8, 1953 sighting — likely cross to San Juan office file (65-330)
Donald E. Keyhoe & George Adamski — referenced; likely connect to other FBI files on saucer authors
Project Saucer / Project Blue Book / ATIC — Wright-Patterson AFB material across the corpus
Captain Edward J. Ruppelt — head of ATIC; appears across many UAP files of this period
Truman Bethurum's Capt. Aura Rhanes / Mt. Rainier 'Clarion' contactee narrative — see Bethurum's 1954 publications and 'Valor' magazine
Mableton GA 'monkey hoax' (Watters/Payne/Wilson, 7/8/53) — well-known; later widely covered, referred to OSI same morning
Processing notes
This is Section 7 of FBI HQ master file 62-83894 (the Bureau's flying-saucer/UFO master file), covering ~Aug 1952–Jul 1954. The bulk is Hoover-signed acknowledgement/forwarding letters to the public, plus a series of internal memoranda (Branigan, Keay, Henrich, Parsons, Martin) reaffirming USAF/OSI jurisdiction per Bureau Bulletin #57 (10/1/47) and SAC Letter #38 (3/25/49). Key embedded items worth surfacing in cross-cutting reports: (1) the 8/8/52 Savannah River Plant (DuPont/AEC) sighting — UAP at a US nuclear materials site; (2) the FBI Lab's quiet hoax-indication on the Desvergers cap; (3) ATIC's explicit 'completely ruled out / complete loss to explain' admission about a Navy photographer's color motion-picture film of 12–16 objects (Tremonton/Newhouse-era); (4) a memo stating 'some Military officials are seriously considering the possibility of interplanetary ships' (10/27/52); (5) a complete reprint clipping of Daniel Lang's 'Something in the Sky' New Yorker article (pp. 75-84) including Samford and Ruppelt quotations and the Los Alamos lights mention; (6) a vivid snapshot of the IFSB civilian saucer-network and its January 1953 Space Review (Franklin IN police saucer report, Korean front 'cartwheels,' French angel-hair); (7) the Bethurum/Williamson contactee circuit's tie to Pelley's Silver Shirt successor Soul Craft Chapels; (8) the Adolph Dornig (Klagenfurt) inventor-of-the-flying-saucer claim with translated letters; (9) the Mackinac Island / Circleville Stevenson 'Martian-in-California' rumor and FBI denial; (10) the Mableton GA hairless-rhesus-monkey hoax. OCR is heavy and occasionally corrupted; page numbers map to the OCR'd PDF. Confidence 0.72 — quote text and page numbers verified against OCR but proper-name spellings (e.g. Watters/Waters, Eekhout, Pivec/Pliwetz) sometimes vary across pages and may need normalization at aggregation time.
Questions & answers
When did the employees see the light?
On the evening of August 8, 1952, at approximately 9:30 PM.
Who reported the incident to the FBI?
A security official from the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
Is it known what the light was?
No. The message describes its appearance but does not explain what it was.
The conversation
Open discussion
No messages yet. Be the first to say what you think you're looking at.
Speaker: D. J. Parsons, FBI Lab memo to Harbo, 8/29/52
Why it matters: FBI Laboratory's quiet documentation that the famous Desvergers/West Palm Beach scoutmaster 'red blob' burn was inconsistent with the cap being on his head — i.e., a hoax indicator.
Page 44
"Bearing out the theory of temperature inversion reflection is an incident which occurred in January 1951 near Oakridge, Tennessee. Two Air Force aircraft attempted to intercept an unidentified 'object' and actually established a radar 'lock' on the object."
Speaker: DoD Office of Public Information mimeo on Air Force investigations of unusual aerial phenomena
Why it matters: Official acknowledgement of a USAF radar lock at Oak Ridge — used by the Air Force as their inversion-explanation exemplar.
Page 73
"The unexplained reports, however, which are in the order of 20 percent of the total, cannot be definitely associated with these familiar things."
Speaker: DoD Office of Public Information factsheet (~Oct 1952)
Why it matters: On-the-record DoD admission that ~20% of UFO reports remained unexplained.
Page 72
"As far as is known there is nothing in them that is associated with material or vehicles that are directed against the United States, from another country or from other planets."
Speaker: DoD Office of Public Information factsheet
Why it matters: Affirmative public-affairs denial of extraterrestrial origin.
Page 74
"We have many reports from credible observers of incredible things."
Speaker: Maj. Gen. John A. Samford, Director of Air Intelligence (recounted in Lang, New Yorker)
Why it matters: Famous Samford line; preserved in this FBI section via the Lang clipping.
Page 84
"even a few physicists at Los Alamos, New Mexico, men who make a fetish of objectivity, were interviewed after they reported having seen puzzling lights hovering above their atomic-energy laboratories."
Speaker: Daniel Lang quoting Capt. E. J. Ruppelt
Why it matters: Documents UAP sightings over Los Alamos by the lab's own physicists, recorded in an FBI HQ file.
Page 82
"Air Intelligence still feels that the so-called flying saucers are either optical illusions or atmospherical phenomena. He pointed out, however, that some Military officials are seriously considering the possibility of interplanetary ships."
Speaker: Col. C. M. Young (relayed by V. P. Keay to A. H. Belmont, 10/27/52)
Why it matters: Internal admission to FBI that 'some Military officials' were entertaining the interplanetary hypothesis.
Page 96
"Experts at the Air Technical Intelligence Center have advised that, after careful study, there were as many as twelve to sixteen flying objects recorded on this film; that the possibility of weather balloons, clouds or other explainable objects has been completely ruled out; and that they are at a complete loss to explain this most recent creditable sighting. The Air Technical Intelligence Center experts pointed out that they could not be optical illusions inasmuch as optical illusions could not be recorded on film."
Speaker: Col. C. M. Young to V. P. Keay (re Tremonton-style Navy photographer film)
Why it matters: ATIC's own 'completely ruled out / complete loss to explain' admission about a Navy photographer's 35-foot motion-picture film of 12–16 objects — i.e., the Delbert Newhouse / Tremonton, Utah footage as filtered to FBI.
Page 94
"The flying saucers were apparitions, it said, all attributable either to a failure to recognize conventional objects, to hoaxes, or to a mild form of mass hysteria."
Speaker: Daniel Lang summarizing the December 1949 Air Force public conclusion
Why it matters: Concise statement of the official 1949 USAF position.
Page 75
"It would be different if flying saucers were known to exist. ... it is impossible to prove, logically and with finality, a double negative — that is, that there are no flying saucers and that people have not seen flying saucers."
Speaker: Major Boggs, USAF (quoted by Lang)
Why it matters: Explicit articulation of the epistemic problem at the heart of UFO investigation.
Page 77
"Inquiry was conducted in order to determine, if possible, the source for the information appearing in the attached article regarding FBI investigations. ... at no time was the FBI mentioned and that he has no idea where Lang obtained the information appearing in his article concerning FBI investigations."
Speaker: V. P. Keay to A. H. Belmont, 10/8/52
Why it matters: FBI's irritated response to the New Yorker piece — Hoover's office traced every USAF/DoD source to confirm none had told Lang the FBI investigates saucers.
Page 90
"The farmer was told, as the story goes, by your representatives, that the particular flying saucer he identified is the type that is known to have been flown down from the planet Mars, and that similar ships have been captured, and that your agency or the government hold captive one man at least in California who was taken from one of these things from Mars. This Martian it is understood is now being taught how to speak English -- in California -- and taught American customs."
Speaker: W. S. Woodfill, President, Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, to Hoover (6/30/53)
Why it matters: Earliest captured-Martian-being-taught-English rumor in this file. Hoover personally replied 7/24/53 disclaiming any FBI involvement.
Page 151
"MCRAE STATED ANIMAL DID NOT RESEMBLE ANYTHING HE HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE BUT LOOKED AS IF IT BELONGED TO MONKEY FAMILY. ANIMAL MEASURED AND FOUND TO BE APPROXIMATELY TWENTYONE INCHES LONG, HAD RATHER POINTED HEAD, LARGE EARS AND SKIN WAS PINKISH."
Speaker: FBI Atlanta teletype, 7-8-53
Why it matters: Contemporaneous FBI documentation of the Mableton 'monkey from a flying saucer' hoax.
Page 154
"the invention, known by the name of 'flying saucer,' is my own ... I can construct the above-described machine myself and attain at least 2000 km. /s/ A. DORNIG"
Speaker: Adolph Dornig of Klagenfurt, Austria, in letter to Alois Pivec, 12-21-53
Why it matters: Austrian inventor's claim — translated by FBI — to be the original designer of the 'flying saucer,' with crashed prototypes in South America since 1938-39 (60% fatal flights).
Page 175
"When I wrote in Switzerland at first to President TRUMAN and then to President EISENHOWER through an official bureau, also everything was of no avail. In the end, always Russian agents come."
Speaker: Adolph Dornig, 1-21-54 letter (translated)
Why it matters: Self-proclaimed flying-saucer inventor's complaint, on FBI record, that letters to two U.S. presidents only produced 'Russian agents.'
Page 177
"An anatomy professor said however, that the corpse the earth men suspected was from outer space appeared to be a monkey. ... 'If they're from outer space, they haven't invented anything new.'"
Speaker: Dr. W. A. Mickle, Emory University (Washington Daily News 7/9/53)
Why it matters: Memorable on-record anatomy verdict on the Mableton hoax.
Page 160
"It is the opinion of Colonel RAYNOR that the releases are a poor thing and create mass hysteria, but he says he has nothing whatsoever to do with the situation."
Speaker: SAC Seattle to Director, 6/18/54 (quoting Col. S. W. Raynor, OSI)
Why it matters: An OSI District Commander privately calling Air Force public releases on saucers 'a poor thing' that 'create mass hysteria.'
Page 200
Lt. Col. L. L. Free
Chief, Espionage Branch, Counter-Intelligence Division, OSI; named in Desvergers cap exam · USAF OSI · Page 44
Lt. Col. John O'Mara
Wright-Patterson AFB; told Eickhoff Donald Keyhoe was 'a fraud' · USAF · Page 195
Major E. P. Walkers
Provost Marshal, U.S. Air Force Base Mildenhall, England · USAF · Page 126
Major Bradford P. Shuman
Wing Intelligence Officer, Ramey AFB Puerto Rico (reported Fort Buchanan sighting) · USAF · Page 142
Daniel Lang
New Yorker staff writer, author of 'Something in the Sky' (Sept 6, 1952) · The New Yorker · Page 75
Major Boggs
Air Force liaison officer between Wright Field and Washington (quoted by Lang) · USAF · Page 77
Brigadier General Ernest Moore
former Chief of Air Force Intelligence (quoted by Lang on saucers) · USAF · Page 75
Lt. Gen. Benjamin W. Chidlaw
Commanding General, Air Materiel Command (first head of Project Saucer) · USAF AMC · Page 75
Kenneth Arnold
Boise pilot, original 24 June 1947 sighting near Mt. Rainier · civilian · Page 76
Lt. Gov. Donald S. Whitehead
Lieutenant Governor of Idaho, sighted comet-shaped object · State of Idaho · Page 76
Names of writer of anonymous German letter to Cincinnati Enquirer kept anonymous (signed only 'H. SCH.')
Likely reason: Anonymous source; not a redaction proper but informant identity protection
Franklin, Indiana police observed three objects performing barrel-rolls and 90-degree turns over the city for 4 hours 15 minutes on 7/28/52 (per Capt. Lee Sloan, Patrolmen Moore and Rund); the report appeared in IFSB's Space Review and was forwarded to FBI HQ via the Wolf inquiry.
Korean front, 29 Oct 1952 (per IFSB's Space Review): U.S. troops reportedly observed 'a half-dozen mysterious spark-throwing cartwheels' over the western front of Korea, 18 inches in diameter moving in a 5-foot circle.
Multiple French October 1952 sightings (Gaillac, Oloron) included the famous 'angel hair' / falling threads that 'melted like ice' when picked up — preserved in this section via the Space Review attachment to the Robert D. Wolf case file.
Albert K. Bender's IFSB (Bridgeport CT) is documented at peak organizational reach in this section — including British Branch (Bristol), Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand affiliates, with Capt. Edgar L. Plunkett (Bristol/RAF) as British rep — providing FBI HQ the most detailed civilian-saucer-network snapshot of the period.
George Hunt Williamson / Truman Bethurum / Soul Craft Chapels (Noblesville IN) — FBI Cincinnati notes (p. 197) explicitly link Soul Craft to William Dudley Pelley's Silver Shirt Legion of America (referenced in Indianapolis file 61-5). This connects 1950s contactee promoters to a 1930s American fascist organization.
Fort Richardson, Alaska, USA
Page 76
Newfoundland, Canada
Page 76
Trenton, New Jersey, USA
Page 76
Macon / Montgomery (Chiles-Whitted route), USA
Page 78
Fargo Municipal Airport, North Dakota, USA
Page 79
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Page 80
Seattle, Washington, USA
Page 80
Danforth, Illinois, USA
Page 80
Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
Page 82
Salem, Massachusetts, USA
Page 84
Fort Belvoir, Virginia, USA
Page 84
Terre Haute, Indiana, USA
Page 82
Battle Creek, Michigan, USA
Page 82
Lakehurst, New Jersey (NAS dirigible base), USA
Page 82
Washington National / Andrews AFB, USA
Page 83
New Castle, Delaware, USA
Page 83
Butte, Montana (FBI field office), USA
Page 61
Newark, New Jersey (FBI field office), USA
Page 63
Paterson, New Jersey, USA
Page 63
Passaic, New Jersey, USA
Page 63
Bridgeport, Connecticut (IFSB HQ, P.O. Box 241), USA
Page 112
Franklin, Indiana (Johnson County), USA
Page 109
Sutton, West Virginia (Flatwoods Monster ref.), USA
Page 116
Charleston, West Virginia, USA
Page 116
Wheeling, West Virginia, USA
Page 116
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, USA
Page 115
Mildenhall, England (USAF base), UK
Page 126
Jeffersonville, Sullivan County, New York, USA
Page 126
Bowie, Maryland, USA
Page 131
Valparaiso, Chile
Page 135
Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, USA
Page 142
Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico, USA
Page 142
Watertown, Massachusetts, USA
Page 143
Mackinac Island, Michigan, USA
Page 149
Circleville, Ohio (Pickaway County), USA
Page 151
Mableton, Georgia (Bankhead Highway), USA
Page 154
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Page 154
East Orange, New Jersey, USA
Page 169
Klagenfurt-West, Austria (Waidmannsdorferstr. 80)
Page 177
Graz, Austria (Siemens-Halske)
Page 179
Salzburg, Austria
Page 177
Redondo Beach, California (Bethurum), USA
Page 194
Noblesville, Indiana (Soul Craft Chapels / Valor mag), USA
Page 194
Milton, Kentucky, USA
Page 187
Norway / Sweden / Stockholm, Norway/Sweden
Page 115
Gaillac, southern France
Page 115
Oloron, France
Page 115
Western Korea front
Page 115
York, England (Exercise Mainbrace), UK
Page 115
Melbourne, Australia
Page 115
Office of Naval Research
USN · Page 82
Cambridge Field Station
USAF · Page 81
RAND Corporation
civilian · Page 81
Project Saucer / Project Blue Book
USAF · Page 75
Ground Observation Corps (Johnson Co. IN)
civilian/Civil Defense · Page 109
Civil Aeronautics Administration
Dept. of Commerce · Page 46
Two employees witnessed a blue light over a nuclear plant near the Savannah River. It had an orange band along its edges and resembled a flying saucer. The light passed over an area within the plant.
The incident is particularly unusual due to the location where the light was seen: a nuclear facility. The next day, the plant's security official sent a report to the FBI. However, the message is brief, and the story cuts off precisely as it describes the light's speed.
Light Over the Plant
The employees spotted the light on the evening of August 8, 1952, at approximately 9:30 PM. They worked for DuPont, the company operating the plant. The report described a blue light with orange edges, shaped like a disc.
The light passed over a specific section of the plant, then known as Area 400. The message noted that the object flew at high speed, but the sentence stops there. It does not specify the light's direction of travel or how long it was visible.
Urgent Report the Next Day
The following day, a security official from the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission forwarded an urgent report to the FBI. The message stated that two employees had seen the light over the plant. It also included its colors, shape, and the location it passed over.
This is the entire description of the event in the message. It contains no account of what happened after the light passed, nor any information about an investigation conducted following the report. The sentence about the speed also cuts off before the information is complete.
What Remains Unknown
It is unknown what the light was or what happened afterward. The material offers no possible conventional explanation, nor a full description of its speed.
Two colors, a disc over a plant area — and then a line that cuts off mid-sentence.
