What did the declassified documents reveal?

DATE: twenty-third of January, nineteen fifty‑three. FROM: CAPTAIN HARRY SMITH, A‑F‑O, HARMON AIR FORCE BASE, NEWFOUNDLAND. SUBJECT: UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT OBSERVED BY CONTROL TOWER AND WEATHER DETACHMENT. COLD OPEN: This is a declassified United States Department of Defense incident report dated twenty‑third of January, nineteen fifty‑three, filed by the Air Force at Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland. The document records a visual sighting of an unidentified aerial phenomenon that was observed by multiple base personnel and remains a notable entry in the public record of mid‑twentieth‑century aerial observations. PROVENANCE: The report was released to the public through The Black Vault archive, reference number 1953‑01‑9544564‑HarmonAFB‑Newfoundland. It was declassified after twelve years in accordance with Department of Defense Directive five‑two‑zero‑zero point one zero, and made available on the archive site at https://archive.org/download/1953-01-9544564-HarmonAFB-Newfoundland/1953-01-9544564-HarmonAFB-Newfoundlanddjvu.txt. No specific Freedom of Information Act case number is listed for this release. THE DOCUMENT: DESCRIPTION OF INCIDENT. An unidentified flying object described as red, white and blue and oval‑shaped was observed visually from the weather station, control tower, base operations office, and a nearby Aircraft Control and Warning site at Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland, at zero hundred zero minutes Zulu. An attempt to contact the object by radar met with negative results. DATE AND TIME. The observation occurred at zero zero four zero UTC on twenty‑third of January, nineteen fifty‑three. OBSERVERS. The object was observed by personnel from the control tower, the weather detachment, and the local Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron. Among the observers were officers and enlisted men from base operations, the weather detachment, and the AC&W squadron. DURATION. The object was visually observed for approximately fifteen minutes. BEARING AND ESTIMATED RANGE. The approximate bearing was from two hundred seventy degrees true to three hundred degrees true from the base. Observers estimated the distance of the object from the station to be between five and fifteen miles; a number of weather‑detachment personnel estimated the distance at seven miles. No precise approximation of distance could be given, but observers generally agreed that its altitude above the horizon was not great, not exceeding four thousand feet. MOVEMENT. The movement of the light was not erratic. Some observers reported it as being stationary, while others noted it moving northward, then northwestward, and descending. RADAR CONTACT. Although the object was visually observed by personnel of the local Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, they could not acquire a radar return on the target. COLOR CHANGES. All observers concurred that the light changed colors rather frequently, ranging from a star‑like white to a dull red. Others reported it changing to…

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.

Date: Twenty Third Of January, Nineteen Fifty‑three.

◆ BLUF — The short version

DATE: twenty-third of January, nineteen fifty‑three. FROM: CAPTAIN HARRY SMITH, A‑F‑O, HARMON AIR FORCE BASE, NEWFOUNDLAND. SUBJECT: UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT OBSERVED BY CONTROL TOWER AND WEATHER DETACHMENT. COLD OPEN: This is a declassified United States Department of Defense incident report dated twenty‑third of January, nineteen fifty‑three, filed by the Air Force at Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland.

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 Date: Twenty Third Of January, Nineteen Fifty‑three. about?: DATE: twenty-third of January, nineteen fifty‑three. FROM: CAPTAIN HARRY SMITH, A‑F‑O, HARMON AIR FORCE BASE, NEWFOUNDLAND. SUBJECT: UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT OBSERVED BY CONTROL TOWER AND WEATHER DETACHMENT. COLD OPEN: This is a declassified United States Department of Defense incident report dated twenty‑third of January, nineteen fifty‑three, filed by the Air Force at Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland.
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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Date: Twenty Third Of January, Nineteen Fifty‑three.

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