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{
    "localId": "351002630",
    "label": "[Washington] Closed Cases, 1960: Flying Saucers",
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    "id": "351002630",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "[Washington] Closed Cases, 1960: Flying Saucers",
    "description": "This file contains correspondence between Senator John F. Kennedy and his constituents regarding flying saucers, or unidentified flying objects (UFOs). It also includes a United States Air Force press release on the study of unidentified flying objects.",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/351002630",
    "identifierLocal": "JFKSEN-0252-003",
    "collections": [
        "Papers of John F. Kennedy: Pre-Presidential Papers: Senate Files",
        "Files Related to Cases and Projects"
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    "seq": 29,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/kennedy/jfk-2-3/74784426/351002630/74784426_JFKSEN-0252-003-p0029.tif",
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    "ocrText": "The large balloons, if caught in jet streams, may assume a near\nhorizontal position when partially inflated, and move with speeds of\nover 200 MPH. Large types may be observed flattened on top. The\neffect of the latter two conditions can be startling even to ex-\nperienced pilots.\nMany modern aircraft, particularly swept and delta wing types,\nunder adverse weather and sighting conditions are reported as\nunusual objects and 'flying saucers. When observed at high alti-\ntudes, reflecting sunlight off their surfaces, or when only their\njet exhausts are visible at night, aircraft can have appearances\nranging from disc to rocket in shape. Single jet bombers having\nmulti-jet pods under their swept-back wings have been reported as\nUFOs or \"saucers\" in UV\" formation. Vapor trails will often appear\nto glow with fiery red or orange streaks when reflecting sunlight.\nAfterburners are frequently reported as UFOs.\nThe astronomical category includes bright stars, planets,\nmeteors, comets, and other celestial bodies. When observed through\nhaze, light fog, or moving clouds, the planets Venus, Mars, and\nSupiter have often been reported as unconventional, moving objects.\nAttempts to observe astronomical bodies through hand-held binocu-\nlars under adverse sky conditions has been a source of many UFO\nreports.\nThe \"other\" category includes reflections, searchlights, birds,\nkites, blimps, clouds, sun-dogs, spurious radar indications,\nhoaxes, firework displays, flares, fireballs, ice crystals, bolides,\netc., as examples: Large Canadian geese flying low over a city at\nnight, with street lights reflecting off their bodies; searchlights\nplaying on scattered clouds, appearing as moving disc-like shapes.\nThe insufficient data category include all sightings where\nessential or pertinent items of information are missing, making it\nimpossible to form a valid conclusion. These include description\nof the size, shape or color of the object; direction and altitude;\nexact time and location; wind weather conditions, etc. This cate-\ngory is not used as a convenient way to get rid of what might be re-\nferred to as \"unknowns\". However, if the data received is insuf-\nficient or unrelated, the analysts must then place that particular\nreport in this category. The Air Force needs complete information\nto reach a valid conclusion. Air Force officials stressed the fact\nthat an observer should send a complete report of a bona fide sight-\ning to the nearest Air Force activity. There the report will be\npromptly forwarded to the proper office for analysis and evaluation.\nA sighting is considered as \"unknown\" when a report contains\nall pertinent data necessary to normally suggest at least one valid\nhypothesis on the cause or explanation of the sighting but when the\ndescription of the object and its maneuvers cannot be correlated\nwith any known object or phenomenon. In its Project Blue Book\nSpecial Report $14, released in October, 1955, the Air Force showed\nthat evaluated sightings in the \"unknown\" category had been reduced\nto 3% at that time.\n- 2 -\nMORE"
}