What did the declassified documents reveal?

COLD OPEN. This episode presents document number one nine five zero dash zero four dash nine six one four eight four nine dash Lafayette dash Ind, a United States Air Force report dated April twenty‑third, nineteen fifty. The file records a first‑hand account of an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed near Red Bud, Illinois, and is notable for its detailed narrative and accompanying photograph. PROVENANCE. The record was released through The Black Vault, archived at https://archive.org/download/1950-04-9614849-Lafayette-Ind/1950-04-9614849-Lafayette-Inddjvu.txt. The declassification authority is listed as the United States Air Force, with the release date noted as the date of upload to the public archive. No specific Freedom of Information Act case number is provided. THE DOCUMENT. By Dean Forsac: Although the photograph was taken on April twenty‑third, nineteen fifty, it was not publicized until this date because of the original ridicule to which the photographer was subjected by his friends. At the request of the Flying Saucers organization, the print has been made available. On April twenty‑third, nineteen fifty, I was walking through the woods near Red Bud, Illinois. I was a part‑time photographer hoping to obtain wildlife shots, but I carried my camera for appearances’ sake. As I descended the south side of a hill, the woods opened into a clearing on a gentle slope. Utility lines crossed the clearing, and from there I could see the green‑and‑brown hills bathed in bright sunshine. The clearing in which I stood was shaded, as though a small cloud were overhead. I looked up and received the shock of my life. Suspended at what seemed a height of no more than twenty feet directly over me, with no visible means of support, a huge round, shaded, metallic bottom of what proved to be a disc hung motionless in mid‑air. I would not dare to hazard a guess at how large the thing was; it looked enormous. Very slowly the huge disc began moving away from me southward. The bottom seemed convex and the upper surface likewise, but the upper surface rose to form a dome atop the middle of the circle formed by the disc’s edge. This top semi‑sphere was reddish in color, and the rest of the thing, below a distinct line where the dome started, appeared to be of clear metallic substance. The object stopped moving and hovered, motionless, over the hills. After a few seconds it started moving again, this time eastward, then stopped and hung in mid‑air again. I then raised my camera, captured the object in the viewfinder, and snapped the shutter. Immediately the thing took off. There was no discernible sound or exhaust; it vanished in a flash beyond the horizon. My watch read three thirty‑eight in the afternoon. Later that day, a newsboy named Donald Oene was peddling his bicycle down U. S. Route fifty‑one to make deliveries south of town. He stopped before the Oreene residence, which lay adjacent to the highway. Mrs. Oreene was tending plants in the yard; Mr…

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.

1950 04 9614849 Lafayette Ind

◆ BLUF — The short version

COLD OPEN. This episode presents document number one nine five zero dash zero four dash nine six one four eight four nine dash Lafayette dash Ind, a United States Air Force report dated April twenty‑third, nineteen fifty.

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/1950-04-9614849-Lafayette-Ind

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Episode notes

Source document: https://archive.org/details/1950-04-9614849-Lafayette-Ind

Questions about this case

What was 1950 04 9614849 Lafayette Ind about?: COLD OPEN. This episode presents document number one nine five zero dash zero four dash nine six one four eight four nine dash Lafayette dash Ind, a United States Air Force report dated April twenty‑third, nineteen fifty.
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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1950 04 9614849 Lafayette Ind

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