What did the declassified documents reveal?

I. Cold Open This episode presents Project One Zero Zero Seven Three, Record Four, a United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations report dated September first, nineteen forty‑nine, documenting an unidentified flying object observed near Knoxville, Tennessee. The record is notable for its detailed eyewitness description and accompanying weather data. The source is archived at the Black Vault, https://archive.org/download/1949-09-6313209-Knoxville-Tennesse/1949-09-6313209-Knoxville-Tennessedjvu.txt. II. Provenance The document was released to the public through the Black Vault website, a repository of declassified government records. The file bears the internal designation “Project 10073 Record 4” and was made available without a specific Freedom of Information Act case number. The declassification authority is identified as the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, which compiled the report for internal review. III. The Document Project One Zero Zero Seven Three, Record Four. Date: September first, nineteen forty‑nine. Source: United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Observation Summary: Two witnesses, identified as senior students at Central High School, Knoxville, Tennessee, reported an object while traveling on a car‑road to Sharps Ridge, approximately five miles north of Knoxville. The sighting occurred at approximately seventeen thirty hours, September first, nineteen forty‑nine. The object was observed directly overhead at an estimated altitude between forty thousand and fifty thousand feet. It traveled from the northeast, bearing forty‑five degrees, to the southwest, bearing two hundred twenty‑five degrees, in level flight. The object remained in view for two to three minutes. Physical Description: The object appeared disc‑shaped and flat. Sunlight reflected off its surface, giving the impression it was constructed of metal similar to that used in airplane fabrication. No exhaust plume, vapor trail, or audible sound accompanied the object. Atmospheric conditions were reported as calm, with no surface wind and a clear sky devoid of clouds. The object faded from view after approximately three minutes. Witness Credentials: One witness, eighteen years of age, is a senior at Central High School and has studied aeronautics for two years. The second witness, fourteen years of age, is a freshman at the same school. Both demonstrated clear and confident responses to questioning. Weather Balloon Data: On September seventh, nineteen forty‑nine, officials of the United States Weather Bureau, Knoxville, Tennessee, confirmed the release of weather balloons at four hundred hours, ten hundred hours, sixteen hundred hours, and eighteen hundred hours daily. Winds aloft for September first, nineteen forty‑nine, are recorded as follows: At four hundred hours, altitude two thousand feet, wind direction three hundred thirty degrees at three knots per hour; at three thousand feet, direction three hundred twenty…

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.

Declassified CIA File

◆ BLUF — The short version

I. Cold Open This episode presents Project One Zero Zero Seven Three, Record Four, a United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations report dated September first, nineteen forty‑nine, documenting an unidentified flying object observed near Knoxville, Tennessee. The record is notable for its detailed eyewitness description and accompanying weather data.

Agency: Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Date: JUL 18 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was Declassified CIA File about?: I. Cold Open This episode presents Project One Zero Zero Seven Three, Record Four, a United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations report dated September first, nineteen forty‑nine, documenting an unidentified flying object observed near Knoxville, Tennessee. The record is notable for its detailed eyewitness description and accompanying weather data.
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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