What did the declassified documents reveal?

COLD OPEN. This is an Air Intelligence Information Report dated twenty‑first July, nineteen‑fifty‑two, filed by the Headquarters One Hundred Twenty‑sixth Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Truax Field, Madison, Wisconsin. The report concerns an unidentified flying object observed near Platteville, Wisconsin, and is catalogued in the public archive of The Black Vault. PROVENANCE. The document was released to the public through The Black Vault’s digital archive, reference number xxxx‑xx‑9619228‑PLATTEVILLE. The entry was posted on the archive website on an unspecified date and is available for download as a text file at the URL https://archive.org/download/xxxx-xx-9619228-PLATTEVILLE/xxxx-xx-9619228-PLATTEVILLEdjvu.txt. No FOIA case number is listed; the declassification authority is noted as the Director of Intelligence, United States Air Force. THE DOCUMENT. Unclassified Headquarters One Hundred Twenty‑Sixth Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Truax Field, Madison, Wisconsin, transmitted this Air Intelligence Information Report, subject: Unidentified Flying Objects Reporting, dated twenty‑first July, nineteen‑fifty‑two. The report is addressed to the Chief, Air Technical Intelligence Center, with copy to Air Technical Intelligence Unit‑2C, Wright‑Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The report begins: “On twenty‑third June, nineteen‑fifty‑two, at approximately ten fifty local time, a round green object, about the size of a dime held at arm’s length, was seen for about two seconds traveling in a smooth arc at a tremendous speed in a north‑north‑east direction.” The observer described the object as “round to teardrop shaped, pale green in color, leaving no trail or exhaust, moving at a tremendous speed, leaving no sound, and following a north‑north‑east trajectory before disappearing behind the curvature of the earth.” The sighting lasted approximately two seconds. The report records the grid coordinates of the observation as forty‑two degrees forty‑four minutes north, ninety degrees twenty‑nine minutes west. The nearest known landmark is the town of Platteville. The object was observed in the north‑south sky from the observer’s position at an unknown distance and altitude, moving in a north‑north‑east direction. The angle of observation relative to the observer was approximately thirty‑five degrees. The report notes that there was no knowledge of any consequences to the observer, and that meteorological conditions at the time included clear skies over the area, with lightning observable in the western sky due to an approaching cold front. No meteorological or solar disturbance was reported for the time of the sighting. Interpretation or identification actions were not taken because of a delay in receipt of the report. The report also states that there was no evidence of air traffic in the general area at the time of the sighting. The document concludes with a statement that the information contained therein affects the national defense of the United States…

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.

Xxxx Xx 9619228 Platteville

◆ BLUF — The short version

COLD OPEN. This is an Air Intelligence Information Report dated twenty‑first July, nineteen‑fifty‑two, filed by the Headquarters One Hundred Twenty‑sixth Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Truax Field, Madison, Wisconsin. The report concerns an unidentified flying object observed near Platteville, Wisconsin, and is catalogued in the public archive of The Black Vault.

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/xxxx-xx-9619228-PLATTEVILLE

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Episode notes

Source document: https://archive.org/details/xxxx-xx-9619228-PLATTEVILLE

Questions about this case

What was Xxxx Xx 9619228 Platteville about?: COLD OPEN. This is an Air Intelligence Information Report dated twenty‑first July, nineteen‑fifty‑two, filed by the Headquarters One Hundred Twenty‑sixth Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Truax Field, Madison, Wisconsin. The report concerns an unidentified flying object observed near Platteville, Wisconsin, and is catalogued in the public archive of The Black Vault.
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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