What did the declassified documents reveal?

This is a declassified record titled 1959‑07‑8407513‑Berea‑Kentucky, issued by the United States Air Force on August sixth, nineteen fifty‑nine. The file records a follow‑up to a civilian report of an unidentified flying object observed near Berea, Kentucky, and includes the official questionnaire sent to the witnesses. The document was released to the public through The Black Vault archive, uploaded at https://archive.org/download/1959-07-8407513-Berea-Kentucky/1959-07-8407513-Berea-Kentuckydjvu.txt. It was made available in response to a Freedom of Information Act request; the case number is not listed in the archive entry. Declassification was authorized by the United States Air Force under its standard classification review procedures for historical records. Project one‑zero‑zero‑seven‑three, record CARO‑1. Date‑time: twenty‑six July, nineteen thirty‑nine, Greenwich Mean Time. Observation type: ground visual. Source: ground radar. Number of objects: one. Course: not specified. Conclusions: [redacted] – possible balloon, possible aircraft, unknown. Brief summary of significance: a civilian report of an unidentified flying object in a community of fewer than three thousand residents. Six August, nineteen fifty‑nine In response to your recent report of an Unidentified Flying Object, I am enclosing three copies of the Air Force questionnaire to be completed by your sister, Mrs. , and the other two persons who witnessed the UFO with her. Upon completion of the forms, please forward directly to the Air Technical Intelligence Center, Wright‑Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, for analysis and evaluation

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

This is a declassified record titled 1959‑07‑8407513‑Berea‑Kentucky, issued by the United States Air Force on August sixth, nineteen fifty‑nine. The file records a follow‑up to a civilian report of an unidentified flying object observed near Berea, Kentucky, and includes the official questionnaire sent to the witnesses.

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?: This is a declassified record titled 1959‑07‑8407513‑Berea‑Kentucky, issued by the United States Air Force on August sixth, nineteen fifty‑nine. The file records a follow‑up to a civilian report of an unidentified flying object observed near Berea, Kentucky, and includes the official questionnaire sent to the witnesses.
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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