What did the declassified documents reveal?

COLD OPEN. This is a declassified United States Air Force incident report, file number 1952‑07‑6987404, originating from Spokane, Washington, dated July nineteen fifty‑two. The document records multiple civilian and military eyewitness accounts of luminous aerial phenomena, and it is notable because it illustrates the type of sightings that were logged during the early Cold War UFO investigation effort. The source is archived at the Black Vault, accessible through the URL archive.org/download/1952-07-6987404-SPOKANE-WASHINGTON/1952-07-6987404-SPOKANE-WASHINGTONdjvu.txt. PROVENANCE. The report was released to the public through the Black Vault website. It was made available as part of a broader FOIA release of Air Force Project Blue Book files; a specific FOIA case number is not listed in the archive entry. The declassification authority is the United States Air Force Historical Division, and the document is marked “unclassified” at the bottom of the text. The release date on the archive page is not specified, but the file is now in the public domain. THE DOCUMENT. Report Title: “Report of Unusual Objects – July between twenty‑two and twenty‑three hundred thirty‑three hours Pacific Standard Time, actual time of sightings vary, reporting party approximations.” Persons reporting sightings include two women residents of Spokane and a major wing communications officer attached to the Strategic Reconnaissance Wing stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base. The first civilian report: “On a night in July, while at a drive‑in theater located at latitude forty‑seven degrees forty‑three minutes north, longitude one hundred seventeen degrees west, facing north‑northeast, a major observed ten or twelve brilliant white lights on a non‑fading, traveling rapidly, climbing slightly, azimuth of sighting three degrees. The objects were in a loose V formation with the center of the V filled in. The elapsed time was approximately four minutes.” The second civilian report: “At approximately the same time, another woman reported a similar sighting from a different drive‑in theater in north Spokane, same coordinates. Two luminous white discs had been seen earlier at twenty‑zero‑four‑five hours traveling rapidly, moving southeast in line formation. Due to the light of dusk the sighting was hazy, but a single disc was described as looking like a clay pigeon, luminous white, disappearing behind the theater screen, dropping towards the horizon. The size of this latter object was compared to one‑sixth the size of a full moon, larger than any star. No trail or exhaust was reported. The elapsed time of the single disc was two to three seconds.” The military report: “The major wing communications officer observed a formation of luminous objects, described as two white discs, moving in a V shape, with the center filled. No sound, no exhaust, and no visible trail were noted. The objects were observed at approximately the same time as the civilian reports, and the description…

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.

1952 07 6987404 Spokane Washington

◆ BLUF — The short version

COLD OPEN. This is a declassified United States Air Force incident report, file number 1952‑07‑6987404, originating from Spokane, Washington, dated July nineteen fifty‑two. The document records multiple civilian and military eyewitness accounts of luminous aerial phenomena, and it is notable because it illustrates the type of sightings that were logged during the early Cold War UFO investigation effort.

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/1952-07-6987404-SPOKANE-WASHINGTON

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Source document: https://archive.org/details/1952-07-6987404-SPOKANE-WASHINGTON

Questions about this case

What was 1952 07 6987404 Spokane Washington about?: COLD OPEN. This is a declassified United States Air Force incident report, file number 1952‑07‑6987404, originating from Spokane, Washington, dated July nineteen fifty‑two. The document records multiple civilian and military eyewitness accounts of luminous aerial phenomena, and it is notable because it illustrates the type of sightings that were logged during the early Cold War UFO investigation effort.
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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1952 07 6987404 Spokane Washington

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