Jackson, OhioJuly 1947

On July 21, 1947, a resident of Columbus, Ohio found an unusual object in a tree near Jackson, Ohio. He turned it over to the Jackson County Sheriff, who then contacted the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Division.

What the investigators found was not an alien spacecraft, but a weather-monitoring device. The object was a radiosonde (a small balloon-borne instrument package used to measure temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure at high altitudes). It consisted of a cardboard box measuring five by eight and one-half by three and one-half inches, along with a metal frame extending downward in an L-shape. Both parts bore markings identifying them as Signal Corps equipment made by the U.S. Army.

According to the case file, the original finder could not be located for further questioning. The Sheriff described him as a man named "Wright" who lived in the woods near the property and worked only occasionally. Air Force investigators noted that an airman named "Riley" had told the Sheriff he received the object from Wright on the morning of July 21, 1947. The device weighed about four or five pounds and showed no signs of damage.

The case file includes a brief note that "no further action is contemplated" in the investigation. The Air Force did not formally evaluate this case as "unknown" or provide a written conclusion about what the object represented.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, consisting of 25 pages.