Leveland, TexasAugust 1952

# Leveland, Texas, August 1952

On August 24, 1952, between 9:30 p.m. and midnight, two unidentified flying objects were sighted near Leveland, Texas. The objects were spherical in shape with what observers described as a flat or tapered bottom, resembling a spinning top. Witnesses reported the objects displayed changing colors, glowing red, yellow, and blue in sequence. The objects hovered motionless in the air for roughly twenty minutes before beginning a straight and level flight path toward the north-northwest, disappearing from view over approximately three minutes. About an hour later, an object appeared again and repeated the same maneuver, sometimes hovering at roughly the same altitude as the first sighting.

Multiple observers agreed the objects appeared to shine brightly when first spotted. About one minute after the sightings, mist dissipated and the sky became very clear. The objects emitted a constant glow and gave off a shrill, whistling sound, with a tail of fire following behind. Estimates placed the objects at roughly three feet in diameter, though no estimate of thickness was recorded. Witnesses described the base of the object as if it had steam or vapor escaping from it. When the objects began their final disappearance, they hovered momentarily, then accelerated upward in a steep climb while continuing to gain altitude until out of sight.

The observation took place at TJC 3735 in Leveland, Texas. Objects were located roughly four to five miles away at an estimated altitude of five thousand feet, positioned north-northwest of the observers. The only nearby landmark mentioned was a water tower approximately six blocks due west. Witnesses used the naked eye for observation, with no optical instruments employed. Weather conditions at 9:30 p.m. on August 24, 1952, were clear, with a temperature of sixty-three degrees, fifteen mile visibility, and wind from the south-southeast at sixteen miles per hour. A weather balloon was released from the station at 9 p.m. that night with a south-southeast heading to sixteen thousand feet.

No physical evidence such as fragments or photographs existed. No interception or identification action was taken. No evidence of air traffic in the area at the time of sighting was found. The Air Force evaluated the sightings as unidentified.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, consisting of 19 scanned pages.