What did the declassified documents reveal?

Cold Open. This is a declassified United States Air Force document titled “Incident #114 – Fairbanks, Alaska – 18 April 1948.” The record originates from the Air Technical Service Command and was released through The Black Vault archive. It is notable because it contains one of the earliest official reports of an unidentified flying object observed in the Alaskan interior. Provenance. The file was uploaded to The Black Vault on an unspecified date and is catalogued under the identifier 1948‑04‑9670394‑1miNOfFairbanks‑Alaska‑114. The document was made public under the authority of the Department of Defense declassification review, with no FOIA case number listed. The source URL is https://archive.org/download/1948-04-9670394-1miNOfFairbanks-Alaska-114-/1948-04-9670394-1miNOfFairbanks-Alaska-114-djvu.txt. The Document. The opening of the report reads: “Date: eighteen April nineteen forty‑eight. Time: thirteen hundred six hours. Approximate location: one mile north of Fairbanks, Alaska. Weather: clear and visibility unrestricted. Witness: Lieutenant Aylco M. Johnson, 375th Reconnaissance Squadron, United States Air Force, Ladd Air Force Base, Alaska.” The narrative continues: “Object observed was round and flat. Sub‑paragraph two described the object as approximately eight inches in diameter. Sub‑paragraph three noted a silvery, brilliant reflection from the object. Sub‑paragraph five recorded that the object traveled five hundred feet in one to two seconds. Sub‑paragraph six indicated the object moved from the northeast toward the southwest. Sub‑paragraph seven described an oscillating movement from a horizontal plane to a vertical plane, very rapid. Sub‑paragraph eight estimated altitude at approximately two thousand nine hundred feet. Sub‑paragraph nine reported no sound. Sub‑paragraph ten observed no exhaust trails of any kind. Sub‑paragraph eleven noted that the object was very bright, giving off a brilliant reflection, and that the movement appeared to be a reflection of sunlight off the object.” The report adds: “Sketches or photographs were not available. The description answers that of a maneuvering object reflecting sunlight. The weather conditions at the time of the sighting were clear with partial cloud coverage, which would not have prevented a sun reflection from an airborne object.” Later in the document a separate administrative order appears, concerning the reassignment of an officer from Fairbanks to Seattle, Washington, and the transportation of dependent family members to Fort Worth, Texas. That portion reads: “Officer assigned to Sep Point United States Army for relief from active duty under provision of Section seventy‑two, nineteen forty‑seven. Transfer to Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Airdrome Group, effective fifteen June nineteen forty‑eight. Travel by rail to Seward, Alaska, then by first available surface transportation to Seattle, Washington, and onward to Personnel Center Fort Lawton, Washington, where the…

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.

1948 04 9670394 1minoffairbanks Alaska 114

◆ BLUF — The short version

Cold Open. ” The record originates from the Air Technical Service Command and was released through The Black Vault archive. It is notable because it contains one of the earliest official reports of an unidentified flying object observed in the Alaskan interior.

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/1948-04-9670394-1miNOfFairbanks-Alaska-114-

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Episode notes

Cold Open. This is a declassified United States Air Force document titled “Incident #114 – Fairbanks, Alaska – 18 April 1948.” The record originates from the Air Technical Service Command and was released through The Black Vault archive. It is notable because it contains one of the earliest…

Source document: https://archive.org/details/1948-04-9670394-1miNOfFairbanks-Alaska-114-

Questions about this case

What was 1948 04 9670394 1minoffairbanks Alaska 114 about?: Cold Open. ” The record originates from the Air Technical Service Command and was released through The Black Vault archive. It is notable because it contains one of the earliest official reports of an unidentified flying object observed in the Alaskan interior.
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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1948 04 9670394 1minoffairbanks Alaska 114

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