MARIETTA, PA., August 1952August 1952

On the evening of August 2, 1952, a civilian man parked on a highway about one mile west of Marietta, Pennsylvania, noticed a brilliant white light suddenly appear in the sky. The object was roughly half the size of the full moon. It traveled from west to east, maintaining a straight path about 40 degrees above the horizon. The man watched it for only two to three seconds before it vanished abruptly to the east. He reported no sound or exhaust trail and described the object as moving at very high speed and appearing quite close to him.

A second witness, a woman located about one mile east of the first observer, saw something similar at approximately 0100 hours (1 a.m.). She described an object of similar size but believed it was orange in color rather than pure white. Unlike the first witness, she reported the object appeared to be climbing at a steep angle. Both sightings occurred during clear weather with ten-mile visibility.

The first observer was a civilian pilot with radio operator experience during World War II. His background suggested he could recognize common aircraft. The Air Force intelligence officers who reviewed the case noted that the size of the object and its behavior seemed to rule out conventional explanations. They stated they could offer no definite explanation for the sighting, as the facts appeared inconsistent with both aircraft and astronomical phenomena.

The official Air Force evaluation listed the case as unknown. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives across 15 pages.