RICHMOND, CALIF., August 1952August 1952

On August 3, 1952, an observer stationed at the Hall of Justice building in Richmond, California saw two objects in the night sky. The objects looked about the size of a star and appeared blue-white at first, then changed to red. They moved slowly toward the north, seeming to bob up and down as they traveled in formation at roughly 10,000 feet altitude. The observer watched for 22 minutes until fog rolling in from the east and north blocked the view at 2053 (10:53 p.m.) Pacific Daylight Time.

The observer reported clear skies in the immediate area at the time of sighting. No physical evidence, meteorological activity, or unusual conditions were noted beyond the basic visual sighting. The Air Force duty controller reported that heavy aircraft traffic was operating in the area during the time of the sighting.

The Air Force investigators considered the heavy air traffic as a likely explanation. In their concluding remarks, the assistant director of intelligence noted that the objects were probably aircraft. The director of intelligence concurred with this assessment. The full case file, as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below across 14 pages.