Project Blue Book Case File
Marietta, GeorgiaSeptember 1952
Summary
# Marietta, Georgia, September 1952
On the evening of September 3, 1952, multiple witnesses in Marietta, Georgia, saw unusual objects in the sky. The sightings occurred around 10:30 p.m. and lasted roughly 15 to 35 minutes, with different observers reporting somewhat different details.
The most detailed accounts came from witnesses with military backgrounds. One observer, a former B-25 gunner with the 12th Air Force, reported two round, disk-like objects larger than any ordinary aircraft. He said they were white in color, flew in formation in a trail arrangement, and left a greenish vapor trail behind them. The objects moved extremely fast, crossing the horizon in just 4 or 5 seconds, which the witness estimated at speeds exceeding 1,400 miles per hour. Other observers near Marietta and between Marietta and Atlanta reported similar sightings. One witness described the objects as resembling a spinning top and said they were much larger than any known aircraft. That observer noted colors of red, blue, and green, and said the objects moved up and down in a dipping manner before disappearing suddenly and reappearing. Another account described star-like objects about the size of a star but described one large object believed to be a flying saucer, white and red in color, that maneuvered up, left, right, and toward the observer before suddenly disappearing to the right. That same witness said the object appeared to spin, changed color from red to white to bluish-green, and seemed to shoot off sparks. The file notes that approximately 25 people witnessed at least one of the sightings.
The Air Force investigated the reports but found no physical evidence and no aircraft in the general area at the time. The case was officially evaluated as "unidentified," though the record card notes that evaluators considered it might possibly have been a balloon. However, the file contains no detailed explanation or final conclusion about what the objects were.
The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 12 pages.
Reported location
Marietta, Georgia
Date of incident
September 1952
State / country
GA / US
Page count
12 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unidentified
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 15