July 26–27, 1952 — Washington, D.C.
8:15 p.m. Flying saucers return to the nation’s capital, only one week after a massive number of radar-visual UFO sightings above restricted air space in Washington, D.C. At 8:15 p.m., pilot Capt. Berkow and a stewardess of a National Airlines flight near Washington National Airport [now Ronald Reagan National] see several objects resembling the glow of a cigarette high above them. The lights move at around 100 mph. Soon, the airport and Andrews AFB in Maryland are tracking a dozen UFOs throughout much of the sky, all traveling 90–100 mph. By midnight, two F-94s are scrambled from New Castle AFB in Delaware to intercept them. National Airport staff hustle newspaper reporters away from the air traffic control tower, saying that interceptions are classified (but Project Blue Book chief Capt. Edward J. Ruppelt suspects that the Air Force does not want the press around when they finally get a good look at a saucer). The UFOs are seen on radar for 2 hours, but when the jets approach, the blips disappear. When the pilots return to base, they show up again. Reports are reaching Langley AFB about rotating objects that give off alternating colors over Newport News, Virginia. Another F-94 is scrambled, the pilot gets a radar lock, and the target speeds away. At National Airport, the objects reappear shortly before dawn, and two more F-94s are scrambled. The pilots obtain radar locks; again, the objects speed away. USAF press spokesman Albert M. Chop is in the airport radar tower and notes that everyone there believes the targets are “very probably caused by solid metallic objects.” One F-94 pilot, Lieut. William Patterson, says, “I saw several bright lights. I was at my maximum speed, but even then I had no closing speed.” A USAF air intelligence report later states that the radar crew is emphatic that the returns are solid and not temperature inversions. In 1969, however, Colorado project physicist Gordon David Thayer concludes that the radar events involved temperature inversions. He believes the visual sightings were caused by meteors and scintillating stars. University of Arizona atmospheric physicist James McDonald disagreed, arguing that Thayer’s own data did not support his conclusion. Colorado project psychologist Michael Wertheimer interviewed many of the radar operators; nearly all disagree with the inversion explanation and maintain that all experienced radar operators have no trouble identifying such phenomena. [Ebrhart]
MAXW-PBB11-1149-1151 - Log of Reports on Unidentified Objects 2106E - 0121E , July 26, 1952
MAXW-PBB11-1170-1176 AF-112 + Statements + Report
MAXW-PBB11-1177 - Disposition as AP
MAXW-PBB11-1178-1179 - Discussion of Radar sightings
MAXW-PBB11-1180-1183 - Markle Questionnaire
MAXW-PBB11 1084-1099 - Washington Newspaper Articles July 28, 1952
MAXW-PBB11-1214-1218 - July 27, 1952, UFO Reports as telephoned to OIN-2A2 on 28 July 1952
NARA-PBB90-127-129 - Spot Intelligence Report
NARA-PBB90-130 - Sighting over Annapolis, Maryland
NARA-PBB90-131 - Memo to Carroll - Radar Sightings of AP at WN
Sources:
Brad Sparks, Blue Books Unknowns Catalogue, Case 730, p. 158;
“‘Objects’ Outstrip Jets Over Capital,” New York Times, July 28, 1952, pp. 1, 5;
Paul Sampson, “‘Saucer’ Outran Jet, Pilot Reveals,” Washington Post, July 28, 1952, pp. 1, 4;
“Jets on Guard for ‘Saucers’: Interceptors Chase Lights in D.C. Skies,” Washington (D.C.) Times Herald, July 28, 1952, p. 1;
“Radar-Guided Jets Fail To Catch D.C. Saucers,” Baltimore (Mary.) Evening Sun, July 28, 1952, p. 1;
“‘Ghosts’ in Sky Over D.C. Elude Chase by Jets,” Washington (D.C.) Daily News, July 28, 1952, pp. 3, 16;
John G. Norris, “Jets Poised for Pursuit; ‘Saucer’ Peril Discounted,” Washington Post, July 29, 1952, pp. 1, 7;
“A.F. Experts Confer Today on Sky Scare,” Washington (D.C.) Times Herald, July 29, 1952, pp. 1, 17;
“Experts Hold Varied Views on ‘Saucers’,” Washington (D.C.) Times Herald, July 29, 1952, p. 17;
Donn Munson, “A.F. an Find No Evidence of Sky ‘Saucers’,” Washington (D.C.) Times Herald, July 29, 1952, p. 25;
“Plane Unable To Find ‘Objects’ Over D.C.,” Baltimore (Mary.) Evening Sun, July 29, 1952, p. 1;
Robert R. Denny, “AF Officer Labels ‘Saucers’ Mirages,” Washington (D.C.) Times Herald, July 30, 1952, pp. 1, 17;
“‘Saucers’ Pose No Threat, AF Experts Declare,” Baltimore (Mary.) Evening Sun, July 30, 1952, p. 3;
Edward Ruppelt, The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects, pp. 163–167;
Edward Condon, Final report of the scientific study of unidentified flying objects conducted by the University of Colorado, pp. 157–158, 862–867;
Loren E. Gross, UFO’s: A History 1952, July 21st–July 31st, The Author, 1986, pp. 20–31;
Timothy Good, Above Top Secret, pp. 270–272;
Thomas Tulien, “Oral History Interview with Albert M. Chop,” November 1999, pp. 10–13;
Kevin D. Randle, Invasion Washington: UFOs over the Capitol, HarperTorch, 2001, pp. 68–76, 127–148, 253–260;
Frank C. Feschino Jr., Shoot Them Down! The Flying Saucer Air Wars of 1952. Lulu.com, 2007, pp. 42–47;
Michael Swords and Robert Powell, UFOs and Government, pp. 156–159;
Jerome Clark, The UFO Encyclopedia, 3rd Ed., pp. 1252–1255;
Jerome Clark, The UFO Encyclopedia, 4th Ed., pp. 1432–1433;
Graff, Garrett M. UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government’s Search for Alien Life Here—and Out There. Avid Reader Press, 2023, pp. 81–82;
NICAP, “The Washington National Sightings”;
Richard Hall, “The Washington Invasion, July 26/27, 1952”;
Patrick Gross, “The Washington D.C. UFO Flap of 1952”;
G. David Thayer, “Inside the Colorado UFO Project,” 2002;
“Washington National Airport Case of 7-29-1952 – Albert M. Chop,” Ufology: A Primer in Audio, 1938–1959, November 21, 2013;
“Washington National Airport Case of 7-29-1952 – James Ritchie of the CAA,” Ufology: A Primer in Audio, 1938–1959, November 21, 2013;