PROJECT BLUE BOOK

WASHINGTON: 1976

opportunities for ob srrving thinge during tho day. Tho most pojular
hours wore fron 12 noon to 5:00 Pili. and fram 7:00 r.M. to 1l:00 r.ll.
. at night. Vor: fow (6 only) cbservations 0 to
7:00 P.l'., tho usual hours of sunsot.
7.9
said "silver". Ovor 70
flame-like
nirror-like/ or othor vory objeot Only si individuals said
black or dark.
size. of those who did over half said it was less than l0 feet in its
largest dim-nsion. Many canpared i t,a
weather ballon, a baseball, etc.
arances of the
unidentified objeots fall into a surprisingly uniform patorn. The
−
without
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7:00 P.l'., tho usual hours of sunset.
B 7. Color. O
colored object. Tir
. peroen S
flame-like
nirror-like/ or otho Only six individuals said
. DEC INTER bleck or dark..
9. Situ. The rajority of observers did not speoify the objects'
size. of thoso who did over half said it was less than l0 feot in its
12YEAR
largest dimension. Many aapared it t, a
weather ballon, a baseball, etc. P
.
S
unidentified objeots fall into a surprisingly uniform pattorm. The
. _ I −
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must be concluded, thereforo,
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S
S
may have been relatively closo by.
.. INTE could also have been quite small.
DECLA
Becondly, it bable.that individuals who saw
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seen as dark objects against a lighter background unless they are
the reoont war by camouflage experts who plaoed bright lights on the
leading, edges of the wings of airoraft on anti-submarine patrol
in order to conoeal them fron the eyes of subnarine lookouts. If
, -
refleations of the sun, this would aosount in large measure for thedr
inability to identify the objects. On the other hand, if they were
aotually seeing or ssiles, for example, the majority of reports
.4 UNCLASSIFIED

.
-a . aok by 51
other objeets in the air.
+ Diccussiar of Sov ral Spocifie Kaports
factors that
. make observations of aerial phenarene make observations of aerial phenarena
-
Incidents lo. 81 and 163. Incidents o. 81 and 163.
In one case (Investication No. Sl) a civ Hickam
brirht object aypeared to reflect the sun's rays at tines. Arter a -
DECLASSIFIED. DOD_DIR 5200.10 BETERVAUS: NOT AUTOMATICALLY few nimutes he looked away and then could not find the object again.
MRAND T 1R YEAR
abaut an hour bofore dark saw an objeot that lookod somewhat like a
weathor bal loor at about 2ooo ft. Ho kept it in sight for ehout an
hour. io later conchdod thd it mas at a great hoight. at first it
had the cclor of a fluorescent oloctrie light but beore he
: sun went down and then rather suddenly beorme invisible.
Both of these ob jeots oauld well have been just what they aypeared
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_ S
what they judged to be 2000 or 3000 foot altitude ovor Loran, Utah at
22:30. They were judged to be about the size of pigeons and looked white.
All faur observers agroed that these objects looked and acted somewhat
like birds but all thought they were
travel mioh faster than birds. .
I L
objeats of unknom size and distance agninst a iarit sky. The S
$\ra}$ objects may actually have been a flock of wtite birds, flying at a
relatively low altitude and reflocting the lights of the e oity.
Inoidents 30, 30b, 300, and L8, 1, 5, L0, 18d.
DECLASSIFIED. DOD DIR 5200.10 INTERVALS; NOT AUTOMATICALLY DOMNGRADEL YT 12YE'R of 7 January l9l observers at Lockbourne Air Force Base, observrs at
Clinton Caunty AFB and the pilot of an airoraft flying from Dayton to
Washingtca reported an unidentified objeot in the sky. All reports
as to the faot that its light at timeg visibl through a light overoast.
at all three looations judged the objeot to be only a few niles away.
To all of tham it looked motiamless at times, then appearod to gain
and lose elovation. -
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.
Nevortholoss 3 each belioved
it to be relatively near ion
Inoident No. 172. . .
Tah E
ern. ght. Tho light
stalled out.
so steeply, and going, suoh violent acrobatics, that he sometimes
blaoks out, as wae tho onse here, it would be very diffia lt if not
impossible to judge at tho same time what another objeot was doing. In
the seond place, if the pilot kept his eyes intently on the object, as
to loss of orientation. I
: * . .
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. - t Goo and
1loo rt./min. rospeotively.)
General Disoussion and Sumnary
In the preoeding sootion tho hyyothesis has been advanced that
nost rejcrts of unidontified flying objeots have been tho rosult
of porsons failing to identify femiliar phenamona, such as refloetior:s
INTERV believed the the reports.
DECL DO Howover reports li: :auhtodl havo other explana on
Howover, same reports u: ouhtodly havo other explanation.
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phencmona including air siokmoss, disbolief in one's instrurents,
and partial loss of oriontation. The conditions vnder which sone of
have produoed loss of orientation on the part of an observer. This
relative. If tho only outside reference is a point of light, and both
the observer and tho objoct observed are moving, it would be praotioally
whioh was not, or the two notions It is hard onouch
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,.
8 suggested to them. Carnichnel
. DECI INTER an objeot. When the individuals drow the design.
from memory, they drcw it to 1 resmble whatove that
had been sucgested to them.
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st,
partioularly during and after World Har I.
+
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droppod from airoruit. Bits of papor, small oartons, utc., may oo-
siderable height by strong winds. Air-
m11 would impossible to
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to ectinate speed,
Recourerdatione .
The following recarmendat
. l. Test the ability of pile
+ that ceveral pilots try to fly pursuit .
on aich targets at ) - L
INTEUV waild be desira le, tut probably impossible would be desira'le, tu nowing
DECLA DOV
the rature of the light sourco. sourco.
2. I
DECLASSIFIED. DOD DIR 5200.10 INTEIVALS; NOT AUTOMATICALLY DOWNGRADED AT 12 YEAR -
and ce;rves ubovo the horizon) rather thar: asking individualo to estimnte
distance. If possible, obtain an estirate
visual angle subtended by tho object.
3. In all future investigations dot-rmine the angular poaition
of the sun with respeat to the unidentified object and the obsorver.
Also detenine the approximate time during which the objoot was in -
sight (this information half the
reports).
:
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× 24
1

4 al
prreeived form. Journal of E:perim Foychelo.:
Quilford, J.
.
Anorioan Jouraal o P8
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DOWNGRADED AT 12 YEAR
4 INTERVALS; NOT AUTOMATICALLY
DECLASSIFIED. DOD DIR 5200.10
- UNCLASSIFIED

DR. FITTS REPORTS

7-3745 — 77
4 1003851

RETURN TO

USAF Historical Archives
ASI(ASHAF-A)
Maxwell AFB, Ala 36112

UNCLASSIFTED

. Iniividuals who fabricuto
hoax or to seek publinity.
.
3. Planned uishil mer 0goess son?1gd w bjocts coupled with the
rolease o rolatod rolease psycholorioal rroparanda c psychologioal rroparand cause !ass hysteria.
a. Employmort Employmort of st an enery would an enery would
yield sirilar rosults. yield sirilar rosults.
+
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DOWNGRADED AT 12 YEAR
INTERVALS; NOT AUTOMATICALLY
: DECLASSIFIED. DOD DIR 5200.10
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A
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Directer
Maxwell AFB, Alabama ATTN: Archives Branch Aorospace Studies Inst RETURN 28 Apr 1949 K243.6012-2
SMC
TO:
J
APPEIDIX G
Dr. Paul M. Fitts
Peychologioul Analysis of Roports of entified Acrial Objects
.
3 .
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1 1003851
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:
FURTOSE:
l. At the request of the Techr:ical Intolliceua . ion, i7collirorco
made rienl roint o
view, of al? inventigatio.s ons repos
aerial objects.
B. FACTUAL DATA:
. 2. A repcrt
c. COECLUSIONS:
1
3. It io con eludod tiero a
explarations reports flyine provude
plausiblc xplanatio for exmplainnbio. The Be orrors
in identifying real muli
apeed, distance and
of objeot with refe to polar ooordinates (uirootion derrce) abore
the horixn)rather asking individuals to ostirato igtan .if
possible, obtain an timate of siza
tonded by the object.
6. In Auture investigatians on
to unidentified objota
DOWNGRADED AT 12 VEAR
INTIEVALS: NCT AUTONATALLY
DECLASSIFIEL. DOD DIR 5200.10
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more rouats).
7
wy Branoh
.
. Propared
+
Psyoholo
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1 .
Apirovod
: Approved Approved
RDWAFD RDWAD (L3AF) (L 3AF)
Chier, Aare Modical Laboratory
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a 4
Distribution
LICIAXS (2)
ACTED9 (2)
BWNOKADED AT R VFAR
INTEONALS: NOT AUTOMATRIALY
DECLASEIFTED. DOD DIR E2OO.10
,
UNCLAS 318s
2
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the
. conditions and lawe that govern mioh phenomene. .
.
Errore of observation may bo classified as variable or constant.
.
I
. oonstant orror, in the direotion of underestimation, in roporting
extent these reports can b . knowm payahological .
facts and prinoiplos. DOWNGRADED AT 1? YEAR
INTERVALS; NOT AUTOMATIUALLY
DECLASSIFIED. DOD DIR 5200.10
−
Cortain d soientific omslusions.
2
UNCLASSIFIEC

amy
missiin, or sone other object. It M cnly he possiblo te srclmato
*
The prineipal hypothosis to be exanined in the following disaissia
is that reports of unidentified flying, objects have the charactoristios
that would bo expeoted i thev werecases of
typical normal individuals, to identif aomon o fliar phenomem.
aky. A stiok looke bent when one and is in water. Distant objeots
appear rolatively alose in clear, denert attosphere. A snall point-
souroad roon.y
*.o .
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. ar'es nove.
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It is scretims poss: other objocts that
.
T
7 errors ari and
distance.
E (2) Mistaking Iraginary far Real Erents. This error of
observation is usually made mdx by children. by individuals of lo
visiocs, or -
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L
sane
roacom that thoy t ir in false firo alarms.
.
,
.
\$ ?la:in ed
S -
iovernent
pooplo.
1. .
2. Tire the objact remaired in sipht. Abaut half of the poracns
3.! Altitude and distanoo of the objeot. of those who estinated
the distance of the objeot, two-thirds judred it to bo more than a milo
away. N - than 1.ooo feet high.
UNCLASSIFIED