What did the declassified documents reveal?

COLD OPEN This is a declassified United States Air Force memorandum dated April one thousand nine hundred forty‑three, concerning a series of flying‑disc reports from Hackensack, New Jersey. The document is notable for its early reference to unidentified aerial phenomena and for the involvement of senior Air Force intelligence officers. The source is archived at the Black Vault, https://archive.org/download/1947-08-9669379-Hackensack-NewJersey-88-/1947-08-9669379-Hackensack-NewJersey-88-djvu.txt. PROVENANCE The file was released to the public through the Black Vault’s online archive. No specific Freedom of Information Act case number is listed; the declassification authority is indicated as the United States Air Force Historical Division, with the release date noted as the date of upload to the archive. THE DOCUMENT Subject: Flying Discs, Commanding General, A‑A‑R‑O, Patterson Air Force Base. The attached correspondence from W‑D‑D, Wildwood, New Jersey, pertains to recent activity, the “saucers,” as reported in the local press. “Life” magazine gives an account of the sightings. The attached intelligence report, identified as “CP‑F‑L‑E‑R Loy Aly Force D‑A‑S‑E,” states that the intelligence officer has received numerous reports of unidentified serial phenomena allegedly observed over Wildwood, Virginia, during October. The memorandum requests that the office be alerted so that an investigation may be made of reports from this area. Two copies of current information are to be forwarded for limited distribution, to be used as a guide when securing the intelligence. The report continues: “Specimens indicate electrical radiation with anomalous resistance measurements. The phenomenon appears to lack an astronomical interpretation. Dr. Hynek’s evaluations, extracted from Project ECT Grudge Report, list probabilities for various classifications. Astronomical probability numbers include twenty‑six, twenty‑seven, thirty, thirty‑one, thirty‑two, thirty‑three, thirty‑four, forty‑eight, forty‑nine, fifty, sixty, sixty‑six, ninety‑eight, ninety‑seven, ninety‑eight, one hundred one, one hundred three, one hundred four, one hundred sixteen, one hundred nineteen, one hundred thirty‑two, two hundred thirty‑six, one hundred forty, one hundred forty‑seven, one hundred forty‑eight, one hundred fifty‑eight, one hundred seventy‑four, one hundred eighty, one hundred eighty‑seven, one hundred ninety‑seven, two hundred three, two hundred four, two hundred eight, two hundred sixteen, two hundred twenty‑one, two hundred thirty‑eight.” Non‑astronomical but suggestive explanations are listed: balloons or ordinary aircraft, kite‑type objects, flares, falling bodies, auroral streamers, birds, and other natural phenomena. The report notes a lack of evidence for an astronomical explanation and records a series of redacted entries marked “[four lines redacted under exemption B‑1]”. The memorandum concludes with a reference to Major F‑A‑U‑L‑K, who has been receiving all…

Why was this case declassified?

This material was released by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked on this page so the citation chain is auditable.

1947 08 9669379 Hackensack Newjersey 88

◆ BLUF — The short version

COLD OPEN This is a declassified United States Air Force memorandum dated April one thousand nine hundred forty‑three, concerning a series of flying‑disc reports from Hackensack, New Jersey. The document is notable for its early reference to unidentified aerial phenomena and for the involvement of senior Air Force intelligence officers.

Agency: Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Date: JUL 18 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source documenthttps://archive.org/details/1947-08-9669379-Hackensack-NewJersey-88-

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Episode notes

Source document: https://archive.org/details/1947-08-9669379-Hackensack-NewJersey-88-

Questions about this case

What was 1947 08 9669379 Hackensack Newjersey 88 about?: COLD OPEN This is a declassified United States Air Force memorandum dated April one thousand nine hundred forty‑three, concerning a series of flying‑disc reports from Hackensack, New Jersey. The document is notable for its early reference to unidentified aerial phenomena and for the involvement of senior Air Force intelligence officers.
Why was this case declassified?: This material was released by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked in the case notes above so the citation chain is fully auditable.

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1947 08 9669379 Hackensack Newjersey 88

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