Shamokin, Pa., September 1952September 1952

In early September 1952, a woman in Shamokin, Pennsylvania reported seeing two unusual flying objects on separate nights. The objects were cigar-shaped and had an orange glow at one end.

On September 6, the woman observed the first object for only a few seconds around 2000 to 2100 (8 p.m. to 9 p.m.). It appeared to the east of her position, moved in a straight line toward the south, and then disappeared. The second sighting occurred on September 8 at approximately 1905 (7:05 p.m.), and this object was visible for about two or three minutes. It also appeared in the east and traveled southward, but then reversed course and retraced its path back toward the east before moving upward and vanishing. The woman described the object's speed as "very fast," though the distance it traveled and her description of the time suggested the actual speed may have been slower than she believed. The weather was clear at the time of both observations.

The sightings were verified by another person, identified in the file only as a witness who had originally drawn the woman's attention to the objects. Air Force investigators noted that without more precise descriptions, determining the exact nature of the objects was impossible, though they considered jet aircraft and astronomical phenomena as strong possibilities.

The complete case file of 16 pages is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.