Engineering Division
Memorandum Report No. MCFEXD-694-18D
28 April 1949
UNCLASSIFIED
4. Speed. About half judged that the speed was less than 500 miles an hour. The other half of the judgments varied from 500 miles an hour all the way to "terrific", "tremendous", "inconceivable" and "blue blazes".
5. Background against which viewed. The great majority of observers saw the object against a clear day or night sky.
6. Time of day sighted. About two-thirds as many observations were reported at night as in the day. There are, of course, many more opportunities for observing things during the day. The most popular hours were from 12 noon to 5:00 P.M. and from 7:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. at night. Very few (6 only) observations were made from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M., the usual hours of sunset.
7. Color. Observers almost universally reported seeing a light-colored object. Thirty observers reported "white" and twenty-five said "silver". Over 70 percent described glittering, shiny, luminescent, flame-like, mirror-like, or other very bright objects. Only six individuals said black or dark.
8. Shape. Over half described the object as either "round", "disc-shaped", "spherical" or "circular". Other descriptions were similar. Very few observers saw any distinctive shape.
9. Size. The majority of observers did not specify the objects' size. Of those who did over half said it was less than 10 feet in its largest dimension. Many compared it with a dime, a lamp, a dot, a weather balloon, a baseball, etc.
Interpretation of the Common Points of All Reports
The words used by observers to describe the appearances of the unidentified objects fall into a surprisingly uniform pattern. The objects were usually reported as being far away, small, bright and without a distinctive shape. They were usually seen against a clear sky
UNCLASSIFIED
DOWNGRADED AT 12 YEAR INTERVALS: NOT AUTOMATICALLY DECLASSIFIED. DOD DIR 5200.10