Project Blue Book Case File
LAKELAND GA, July 1952July 1952
Summary
On the night of July 24, 1952, a Technical Sergeant with the Air Force Band at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia observed three unidentified objects near Lakeland, Georgia, starting around 12:30 a.m. The first and brightest object appeared as a white light more brilliant than any star. It cycled rapidly through colors, shifting from white to red to blue-white and back to white about once per second. The object climbed and descended repeatedly, hovered in place, darted in circles, and finally disappeared to the west. The entire display lasted about seven minutes. Around 12:35 a.m., two much dimmer lights appeared and performed gyrations while moving in a south-southwest direction. A white flash briefly appeared between them. These objects vanished around 12:40 a.m., also heading west.
The observer was positioned about two city blocks west of Lakeland's eastern edge and estimated the first object at roughly 50,000 feet altitude, 50 miles away. The second and third objects appeared closer, at approximately 30,000 feet. The witness had eleven years of Air Force service, had flown combat missions in World War II and Korea, and held technical training as a mechanical and electrical instrument specialist. He stated the objects bore no resemblance to any aircraft he had encountered.
The Air Force checked local weather conditions and found clear skies with unlimited visibility. No military aircraft were reported airborne in the area at the time. The investigating officer noted that the witness remained consistent in his account, answered questions straightforwardly, and appeared sincere. However, the file does not indicate the Air Force's final assessment of what was observed.
The case file also contains reports from July 24 of similar objects sighted by multiple military personnel at Travis Air Force Base in California, though these appear to be separate incidents. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, consisting of 13 pages.
Reported location
LAKELAND GA, July 1952
Date of incident
July 1952
State / country
? / XX
Page count
13 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 12