Fort Bliss, TexasMay 1949

At Fort Bliss, Texas, on May 5, 1949, military officers on a firing range spotted two unidentified objects in the sky. The witnesses were reliable military personnel with clean records. They watched the objects for between 30 and 50 seconds before they disappeared from view.

The objects appeared to be about three inches across when held at arm's length. They looked white and oblong in shape, and they reflected light so brightly that investigators specifically noted their "highly reflective" luminosity. The objects flew from west to east in a straight, level path at an estimated speed of 200 to 250 miles per hour. They passed through the observers' field of fire at an altitude of roughly 1,000 feet above the ground, at a distance of about 1,000 yards away. The objects made no sound and left no trail. The weather that afternoon was clear with a light blue sky, a few light wind gusts, and no clouds.

The Air Force investigated thoroughly. Investigators interviewed the officers in person and found them trustworthy. They checked with White Sands Proving Ground and Biggs Air Force Base to see if anyone had released any balloons or test devices that day. Neither facility had. The Army's Fourth Army headquarters forwarded the report up the chain of command to Air Materiel Command in Ohio, noting that this sighting was the third incident of this kind reported from the same location in a month. No explanation was found for the objects.

The Air Force ultimately classified this case as unidentified. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives and contains 12 pages.