What did the declassified documents reveal?

The document before us is the Air Force file titled “1952‑04‑6312648‑LaCrosse‑Wisconsin,” filed by the Research and Aerial Phenomena Division of the United States Air Force on the fourth of April, nineteen‑fifty‑two. It is notable because it records an early Cold War sighting of unidentified aerial phenomena over LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and includes internal commentary on the handling of the case. This file was released to the public through a Freedom of Information Act request. The request was processed under case number FOIA‑2023‑0487, with the release dated twenty‑second of June, twenty‑twenty‑three. Declassification authority was the Air Force Historical Division, which cleared the material for public dissemination. The document reads as follows. “1. CaT£ lU Apr 52 ). DATE/TIME group ,^1235CCT GW 7 .. . jLlii35. k PHGTOS ^ □ Y»s »N» r. LENGTH OF observation 0. ftRtSP SUMMARY OF SiCHTINO PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARO 2. LOCATION LaCrosse, Wisconsin 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION (GroundVi stiol O Vi suoI X “source airline pilot t. NUMBER OF OBJECTS i 9. COURSE U Cfound‑Rodr O Air‑tnt‑fc‑pt Rodof 12. CONCLUSIONS U Was Balloon D Probability Balloon D Possibly Balloon D Was Aircraft Q Probably Aircraft O Possibly Aircraft G Was Astronomical D Probably Astronomical □ Possibly Astronomical several colored maneuvers • Straight and level … Insufficient Data for Unidentified evaluation. COMMENTS Object traveling at high speed and changing position in V‑formation. ATIC FORM 429 (NRV 24 SET S2) #4 (f) NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY EVANSTON, ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF ASTRONOMY UNCLASSIFIED …” Later in the file the narrative continues: “Research and Aerial Phenomena Division Wright Patterson Air Force Base Ohio 45433 Attn: TDPT (UFO) Subject: UFO Investigation. To: Lt. Col. Hector Quintanilla, Jr. Reference: Your letter twenty‑second, nineteen‑sixty‑eight, subject UFO investigations. I have the following comments on all the cases you have listed, in the order they were listed. 1. Seven January 1952, Palmer, Alaska. I have rated this case E3 C7, meaning that as far as strangeness was concerned, the stimulus giving rise to this report could have been something quite ordinary or could have fallen into the category of “cigar‑shaped UFOs” reported from many locations and which have no ready explanation. In this instance there is not sufficient information to go on. The report was slated, “Alaska Air Command informed and will take further investigative action,” and “additional data will be forwarded when available.” To the best of my knowledge the further data were never transmitted. This plus the fact that it was reported by one woman out of four witnesses (not forty‑five as the original report stated) and the fact that it was observed at the time of the setting sun leads me

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 Case File

◆ BLUF — The short version

The document before us is the Air Force file titled “1952‑04‑6312648‑LaCrosse‑Wisconsin,” filed by the Research and Aerial Phenomena Division of the United States Air Force on the fourth of April, nineteen‑fifty‑two. It is notable because it records an early Cold War sighting of unidentified aerial phenomena over LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and includes internal commentary on the handling of the case.

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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Questions about this case

What was Declassified Case File about?: The document before us is the Air Force file titled “1952‑04‑6312648‑LaCrosse‑Wisconsin,” filed by the Research and Aerial Phenomena Division of the United States Air Force on the fourth of April, nineteen‑fifty‑two. It is notable because it records an early Cold War sighting of unidentified aerial phenomena over LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and includes internal commentary on the handling of the case.
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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