Air Intelligence Information Report, Catalina Island, 1952
- File
- DOW-UAP-D179
- Type
- Document, 2 pages
- Agency
- Department of War
- Date
- 6/25/52
- Place
- Catalina Island, California
- Released
- Release 7, October 23, 2026
The government's description
This file contains an Air Intelligence Information Report (AIIR), a standardized U.S. Air Force reporting form used to record raw information of potential intelligence value for later analysis. The form served as a primary vehicle for U.S. Air Force field intelligence collection throughout the early Cold War, until defense-wide reporting standards were established in the early 1960s.
This AIIR records a June 25, 1952, incident over Catalina Island, California, in which three Boy Scouts attending a summer camp at Camp Fox reported observing silver “flying saucers” moving at an estimated speed faster than that of a conventional jet. The report also describes the object as climbing quickly before apparently disintegrating. A comment by the preparing officer indicated that no attempt was made to establish the reliability of the report and characterized the experience of the observers as “probably meager at best.”
All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.
Full text
Text taken from the war.gov PDF. Blacked-out parts of the original stay blank, and pages with no readable words, like photos, are left out. Check anything important against the original.
Page 2
,.. ' • 55\F\ED / AF.FORM 112--;•PARl ...I APPROVED I JUNE 1948 0 ;,.__ COUNTRY United States r\ _ _ __;_:_____________,___________.,________---=---------I~ ... AIR INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION REPORT Unidentified flying Q,jects Reporting I807th Jir Dase Group, ?rarch Air Force Base AREA REPORTE!l,ON i:>outhern California DATE-OF REPORT 28 August 1952 SUMMARY: (!i.'nter con.:~e 1ummaru or rep11rt. FROM (Agn,cgJ I 0/ A 25 June 1952 I DATE Of INFORMATION EVALUATION ::one Gitt signljicance in ji11/Jl one-at11Unct paragmph. Lui fn<l~rti at lou;tr ltfl. B,gn1 Ir.rt of uporl on AF Form 111-Parl //.) 1. 8 This report of alleged ''Flying Saucers" in the vicinity o:f Santa Catalina, which is just off the coast of Southern California., was reported by three (3) Boy Scouts in summer camp (Camp Fox) on 25 June 1952. No report has been made by electrical. mean~ due to the time lag '!n £He receipt ot the informtion at this instal- ~ lation. 2. A swrmary of the description follows: a. The object was silver in color, altitude is uncertain, and speed ~ estimated. to be faster than a. conventional Jet. There was no sound observed. One (1) maneuver was observed which was apparently a climbing turn in:med.iately prior to its disappearance by disintegration. b. not recorded. The occurrence was at 12'.>0 hours (PSDT). Length of time observed is c. The sighting was made by three (3) Boy Scouts during a hike up one of the mountains on Santa Catalina Island. d. No observing instruments of any sort were available. observers werE: all in the same group at the time. '!'he three (3) e. No estimate of the reliability can be attempted by the reporter. experience of the observers is probably meager at best. f. Sky conditions were clear and unl.i.Dited. The No r eports on wind conditions g. A rough sketch is inclosed. on two (2) of the Inclosures of wb4t the observers saw. 4 _ _ _ _ INCLS. Incl 1. Ltr fr Clyde Vrooman n 2. Ltr fr Howard Howell " 3. Ltr fr Sam Gites " 4. Ltr fr Forrest E. Spriggs dtd l Jul ;2 ois'UIIUIJ !TION Jl.'U>,RlGW1_TCOR .;I\ vli t;u. ==---===·CG, 5t1a }~;;.;;......---....--------CO, 12th Air Div ~ ~CC: Chief, Air Tech. Intel. Center :AT'l'?k AfflAA=-2c, lfriaht-PattJer NOTE; THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OFTHE ESPIONAGE ACT. 50 U. S. C.- 31 ANO 32 AS AMENDED ITS TRANSMISSION OR THE REVELATION OF ITS CONTENTS IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAW. IT MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART AIR FORCE AGENCIES, EXCEPT BY PERMISSION OF THE DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE. USAF. UNCLASSIF1.::.'