OKINAWA, April 1952April 1952

In April 1952, a U.S. Air Force B-29 bomber crew returning to the United States on rotation observed several unidentified flying objects while stationed at Naha Air Base on Okinawa. The sighting occurred around 2100 to 2200 hours (9 p.m. to 10 p.m.) on April 22 during a practice alert with a blackout. Crew members watching from near the MATS Passenger Terminal first spotted a single elliptical object roughly two to three feet long, flying beneath an overcast at about 1000 to 1500 feet altitude. It moved in a straight, level path from east to west before disappearing. One minute later, two more objects appeared in formation along the same course. Five minutes after that, two additional objects were sighted in the same manner. All five objects shared identical characteristics: elliptical shape, approximately 2 to 3 feet in length, completely silent, no trail of sparks or flames, and a brilliant white light that blinked at regular intervals of one to two seconds like running lights on a conventional aircraft. The crew estimated the objects traveled from east to west in roughly 110 seconds at a speed of about 1000 knots, maintaining a straight and level flight path throughout. The observations were reported to the officer of the day at the MATS terminal.

A second sighting by different crew members occurred around midnight on April 5 (though the date is unclear in the OCR) in a tent area at Kadena Air Base, also on Okinawa. That object appeared at approximately 20,000 feet altitude, flying an erratic course across the base. It maneuvered with sharp, high-speed zig-zagging movements, stopped momentarily, then shot upward and disappeared heading west. The entire observation lasted about ten minutes. This second object was described as having a white steady light, no definite shape but larger than stars, no sound, no sparks or flames, and it appeared to grow brighter and larger as it approached and smaller as it receded. The crew estimated its maneuvering speeds exceeded 1000 knots, far faster than any conventional jet aircraft of that era.

The Air Force evaluation of this case is not clearly stated in the portions of the file provided. The document is primarily a combat crew debriefing report covering multiple topics including enemy fighter encounters, anti-aircraft fire, and various equipment and training recommendations. The UFO observations are included as one element within a larger intelligence report filed by Captain Donald M. Gregory of the 656th Bombardment Squadron Intelligence Office on August 22, 1952, nearly four months after the sightings themselves.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, totaling 7 pages.