Walnut Lake, Mich, 42dgr34'N 83dgr20'W, May 1952May 1952

On May 25, 1952, at 2115 hours (9:15 p.m.), a civilian family observed an unusual light in the sky from their home on Walnut Lake, Michigan. They first thought it was the moon, but soon realized it was drifting slowly westward.

The witnesses, who included the principal observer, his wife, and their children, decided to follow the object by car for roughly half a mile. As they drove, the object changed direction and headed north. They estimated it was flying at about 4,000 feet high. The family stopped the car at a high point and took photographs. Believing the object would enter a nearby cloud, they drove north about two miles to Pine Lake to continue their observation. The witnesses reasoned that if the object truly was the moon, the cloud would pass in front of it naturally. Instead, the object entered the cloud and seemed to vanish. At one point, the lead observer reported seeing a red glow within the cloud, though the other family members did not notice it. The object then reappeared suddenly below the cloud, roughly halfway between the ground and the cloud itself. After watching for approximately 30 minutes total, the family pursued the object by car toward US Highway 24, but lost sight of it while driving.

The observer described the object as larger than the moon, white to yellow-orange in color, silent, and trailing nothing behind it. It moved slowly at all times. The witnesses estimated it was about 200 feet in diameter and 20 feet thick. It displayed light and darker areas around its edges, suggestive of windows or features like "the side of an accordion." The weather in the area was described as hazy with dimly visible stars and a very black sky, which created strong contrast with the object.

The Air Force investigated the case. An SA-16 aircraft from Selfridge Air Force Base was over the sighting area at approximately 2100 hours (9 p.m.) at 6,000 feet and reported nothing unusual. The crew confirmed that weather conditions in the area were bad. The observer later stated that photographs he had taken with an inadequate camera yielded no useful images. A check with the local radar unit revealed no unusual activity. Northern lights phenomena were reported visible on the nights of May 26 and 27 in the general area.

The full case file of 27 pages is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.