Department of War PURSUE File
FBI-UAP-D013, Washington State ‘UFO’ Investigation, 1952-1960
Washington State, United States·July 1952-1960
Editorial summary
This FBI file documents an investigation of reported sightings of unidentified flying objects in Washington State between July 1952 and August 1960, including memoranda and correspondence between the FBI and the U.S. Air Force. The records reference newspaper accounts and witness reports, including a July 1952 disk-shaped object reported near Pasco and a 1953 account from a Seattle witness who described a very large, bright, silvery object high above and west of a naval air station that moved off to the north after about two minutes. Another letter describes a shimmering high-altitude object observed through a telescope that darted off to the west.
Editorial summary written by govweird from the declassified document text. The official government description follows below.
Government description
This file details an investigation of various sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) in Washington state between July 1952 and August 1960. This file includes memoranda and correspondence between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Air Force regarding UFO sightings.
Caption issued by the U.S. Department of War on war.gov/ufo. Verbatim, unedited.
Originating agency
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Record type
Incident date
July 1952-1960
Incident location
Washington State, United States
Release tranche
Release 03 (May 8, 2026)
Distribution
Cleared for public release